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LOS ANGELES — Blue Jays manager John Schneider tried to play it coy by exploiting the status of his leadoff hitter, George Springer, but you could tell he wasn't in it.
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Indeed, Springer was not in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday because of an undisclosed right side or back injury.
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Springer left Game 3 on Tuesday, apparently feeling pain from his swing, and did not return. In a meeting with select Toronto media three hours before the first presentation, Schneider described Springer's status as “daily, hourly.”
Losing one of their most important players while trying to tie the fall classic with the Dodgers holding at two wins apiece is a huge blow for the Jays, who hadn't scored a single run since the seventh inning in Monday's 18-inning marathon.
“The wobble will be the key to determining whether he’s there or not.” Schneider said before introducing his starting lineup. “But he was here first, a lot of treatment, a lot of work. And George is going to do everything he can to be ready.”
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Obviously, he suffered too much to make this a reality.
“He plays for moments like these,” Schneider said. “Whenever the season ends, you guys will be surprised to see how much he physically smiled.
“The MRI showed he was working every hour, every day,” Schneider said of Springer. “His right side kind of grabbed him a little bit.”
In Springer's absence, the Jays are moving No. 2 hitter Nathan Lux to the starting spot, where he will face Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani. Bo Bichette was in the lineup, but the DH spot was usually reserved for Springer.
Yesavage begins game five
“George had an incredible postseason career,” Jays infielder Isaiah Kiner-Falefa said Tuesday. “So him going down is definitely going to hurt. As much as we'd like to see George go down, we trust the next guy.”
Other news before the game: Schneider named rookie Trey Yesavage as his starter for Game 5 on Wednesday. This will be the 22-year-old right-hander's first road assignment in these playoffs.
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