BOSTON – For a Toronto Blue Jays team that’s already down two of its most important position players, another significant injury would be especially troubling.
They appear to have avoided such a fate on Wednesday, as initial testing on George Springer revealed a right forearm contusion but no fracture after he was hit by a pitch during Wednesday night’s 6-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Springer’s considered day-to-day and will be evaluated in the morning to determine his status, but with a day game scheduled Thursday the Blue Jays could opt to give him at least one day of rest before their upcoming series in Houston. Bradley Zimmer entered in Springer’s place and the Blue Jays held on at Fenway Park to win a game in which Jose Berrios pitched well and their quiet offence had its best showing in a week.
Afterwards, the biggest questions around the team revolved around Springer.
“He was sore when we took him out,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “So everybody gets scared, including me. We don’t want to lose him. But then we took X-rays and he’s fine.”
“It definitely sucks with anybody and especially with a guy like Springer who’s so vital to our lineup and gets us going,” infielder Cavan Biggio added afterwards. “But the attitude in our locker room is pretty positive. It just shows the depth that we have in this team. Next guy in is the mentality for sure. Over the course of 162 games, stuff like this is going to happen.”
Back on opening night when the Blue Jays overcame a seven-run deficit on their way to a 10-run outburst, it seemed sure to be a sign of things to come. But the results that followed were middling – just 33 total runs over their next 10 games due in part to the absences of Teoscar Hernandez and Danny Jansen. Still, their manager believes better things are ahead, and the six runs the Blue Jays scored Wednesday were encouraging.
“I know we’re going to be all right,” Montoyo said. “Because everybody expects so much from this lineup that if we don’t hit, everybody’s like ‘oh, what’s going on?’ But it’s fine. We’re going to be all right. People are going to get there. We’re going to be fine.”
“Like I always say, hitting is contagious.”
To state the obvious, losing Springer for more than a game or two while Hernandez and Jansen are sidelined would test a Blue Jays offence that’s already relying heavily on players who had initially been slated for bench roles. Zimmer, for instance, has tremendous defensive ability, but with a lifetime OPS+ of just 75, he’s been a well below-average hitter. By way of comparison, Springer is well above average with an OPS+ of 132.
To the credit of the Blue Jays’ supporting players, they contributed meaningfully to Wednesday’s win. Raimel Tapia hit his first home run of the season Wednesday, sending a baseball deep into the right field seats to give the Blue Jays an early lead. Beyond Tapia, eight hitter Alejandro Kirk delivered two singles and a walk while Biggio singled for his first hit of the season from the nine hole. The result: a comfortable win brought home by relievers Tim Mayza, Trevor Richards and Julian Merryweather.
And while Springer remains day to day, Hernandez did take a step forward as he recovers from an oblique injury, playing some catch on flat ground in Toronto Wednesday. Considering Hernandez has a .295 batting average and .885 OPS since 2020, he’ll make a real difference from the cleanup spot whenever he does return.
“Nothing against (Lourdes) Gurriel Jr.,” Montoyo said. “Gurriel’s very good. But you’re talking about the Silver Slugger winner for the last two years, which says it all. It’s Mike Trout numbers that Teoscar has put up. If you don’t want to pitch to Vladdy, good luck pitching to Teo.”
Thanks to a strong outing from Berrios, the Blue Jays were able to make the most of their bounce-back night at the plate. Making his third start of the season, the right-hander worked his way around eight hits, a walk and a scary hit by pitch to allow just one run over six innings of work.
“Tonight I came to the ballpark wanting to be aggressive – attack the hitters,” Berrios said. “I did that and I feel great about it.”
“I feel so strong and healthy,” he added. “I’m now getting more rhythm and confidence with my pitches.”
“He did an outstanding job,” Montoyo said. “We needed six innings from him.”
Still, it’s safe to say Berrios didn’t have his best command. He left fastballs over the middle of the plate in the first inning, allowing the Red Sox to score their first, and it would turn out only, run. Then in the third inning, Berrios hit Trevor Story on the head but the Boston infielder was able to stay in the game after meeting with Red Sox manager Alex Cora and a team trainer.
In the standings, all of these games are important. And in the trainer’s room, a significant question will linger until Springer’s cleared to return.
