George Springer continued to make strides in his recovery from a knee sprain on Thursday, participating in baserunning exercises ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays‘ game against the Chicago White Sox.
The star outfielder will not be activated for today’s game against Chicago and the team has not given a concrete timeline on his rehabilitation. But, if his progress continues, a return against the Detroit Tigers this weekend is not impossible.
“He looked good, he ran the bases well, and he felt good,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to be up to him [when he returns] — he’s the one who knows his body. But from what I saw, and what people saw, he looked good.”
On Sunday, the Blue Jays were encouraged by the progress Springer had made after hitting in the batting cage and running on the field. Baserunning was seen as the next step in his recovery process, a point Montoyo reiterated on Thursday, saying it was a more objective test of Springer’s progress and that he ran “close to 100 per cent.”
Springer was placed on the 10-day IL with a Grade 1 knee sprain after he collided with an outfield wall in Seattle last Saturday.
The 31-year-old is batting .269 with 16 home runs and 35 runs batted in over 49 games this season.
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