Blue Jays' Swanson on son's condition: 'We're very, very lucky'

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Speaking publicly for the first time since his four-year-old son, Toby, was struck by a vehicle on Feb. 25, Erik Swanson expressed gratitude for the support he and his family have received over the last 10 days and hope that his son will soon be released from the hospital where he’s been receiving treatment.

“I stand here very happily telling you that in the next day or two, he should probably be going home,” the Blue Jays reliever told a small media contingent Thursday afternoon. “Based off of the situation, we're very, very lucky with everything that happened and the outcome of where we're at now. My wife (Madison) has been absolutely amazing throughout this entire process. Very strong. What a strong, courageous mother should be.”

Swanson thanked first responders working in Clearwater, Fla., the day of the incident, as well as the staff at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he has been receiving care.

“We feel the support,” he said. “We felt everybody's prayers, everybody's thoughts. We feel it all and it's made this process a little bit easier with as difficult a situation as it has been. Blue Jays fans — and not just Blue Jays fans but baseball fans around the entire league. Other teams in the league have reached out. It's been pretty amazing."

Following the incident, Swanson took time to be with his family. Since then, he has gradually returned to the team’s Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla., and he threw off a mound in front of manager John Schneider and others after addressing the media Thursday, suggesting he’ll have plenty of time to get ready for opening day on March 28.

But naturally, his focus has been on caring for Toby, rather than baseball.

“He's a very charismatic boy,” Swanson said. “A very courageous boy. Strong, tough, very outgoing. And I think his personality in that allowed him to kind of push through a lot of the struggles that he's had to go through the last 10 days or so, and get him through some of those longer days at the hospital.”

Swanson thanked his Blue Jays teammates as well as players' wives for their efforts in sending over food and messages of support via calls, texts and videos.

“It’s been an unbelievable amount of support,” Swanson said. “And we are forever grateful for those people.”