TORONTO — A broken left toe for George Springer will test the depth and resilience of a Blue Jays team that’s already dealing with more than its fair share of injuries.
While Blue Jays manager John Schneider didn’t speculate on a timeline for the 36-year-old leadoff hitter and left open the possibility that he wouldn’t be placed on the injured list, it appears likely he’s headed to the IL after fouling a ball off his left foot in the third inning Saturday.
"It feels like we just keep getting punched in the mouth,” said Eric Lauer. “But you've got to keep grinding.”
What matters now is how well the Blue Jays can backfill for Springer, and chances are good that we’ll see an entirely new approach at designated hitter and atop the batting order if he does hit the injured list. While Springer started all 14 of the Blue Jays’ first games by leading off at DH, his absence will likely mean far more variability from day to day.
“A lot will depend on the starter,” Schneider said. “We’ve done that before. We had multiple leadoff hitters in the World Series last year and guys did their part.”
As Schneider points out, both Davis Schneider and Nathan Lukes led off in the 2025 World Series, and that’s perhaps an indication as to who would hit atop the order while Springer recovers.
Matchups will play a role in making those decisions, with Lukes (23 starts at leadoff in 2025) more likely to lead off against right-handers and Schneider (seven starts in 2025) more likely against left-handers if Springer hits the IL. Of course, those are just two of the many options the Blue Jays have deployed at leadoff in recent years, with Ernie Clement (seven starts in 2025), Andres Gimenez (two starts) and Daulton Varsho (one start) also available as needed.
“If it has to look a little bit different, so be it,” Schneider said. “And you have to be able to adjust.”
Regardless of who hits leadoff, there’s also the question of who gets designated hitter reps. A roster move could come as soon as Sunday, with the right-handed hitting Eloy Jiménez one intriguing name at triple-A. Other candidates to have their contracts selected include left-handed hitting outfielders Yohendrick Pinango and RJ Schreck, along with right-handed hitting infielders Josh Kasevich, Riley Tirotta and Charles McAdoo.
Of that group, it's just the 29-year-old Jiménez who has big-league experience. The former top prospect burst onto the scene with 31 home runs in 2019, but has since been released three times. He was a non-roster invitee for the Blue Jays this spring, impressed with good at-bats and improved conditioning and has gotten off to a good start at triple-A Buffalo, hitting .281 with a .775 OPS through 10 games.
Whichever player replaces Springer on the roster, that newcomer is unlikely to take over as a full-time designated hitter. More likely, the addition would become one puzzle piece among many, allowing Schneider to mix and match a bit more freely.
Since Springer has yet to play a defensive inning in 2026, there haven’t been chances for the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Jesus Sanchez to DH. Soon, that could change, and while losing the player who ranked third in all of baseball in wRC+ last year for any duration would be extremely costly, the flexibility to move other players in and out of the DH spot counts as a small positive on another challenging day.
Springer was heading for a CT scan after Saturday’s game, and those results will likely provide the team with a clearer timeline on his return to action. In the meantime, it’s time for team decision makers to consider potential call-ups — and for those in uniform to keep pushing forward.
“You have to focus on tomorrow and the next day and the next day,” Schneider said. “It’s hard, but every team deals with it. We happen to be dealing with it right now. You have to really focus on your prep, what your job is that single day or at bat, and you have to grind. We all sign up for this and it’s not going to be easy. If any team knows that it’s us.”
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