TORONTO – George Springer has returned to the Toronto Blue Jays lineup.
Springer will take the lead when Toronto hosts the Seattle Mariners in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday night. Seattle leads the best-of-seven series 3-2.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Springer was in good spirits Saturday after his X-ray and CT scan came back negative.
“I think it's going to take a lot more effort to keep him out of the lineup,” Schneider said at a pregame news conference. “I was texting him this morning. He basically told me to shut up. Did the same thing when he came in today.”
Springer went down after a 95.6 mph two-seam fastball from Seattle pitcher Brian Wu clipped his right knee in the seventh inning of Game 5 on Friday.
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“He’ll be ready to go,” Schneider said. “He's a little sore, he's got some good stitch marks on his knee from the sinker, but I believe when George says he's fine.
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“He’s been through a lot in his career, so he’s ready to go.”
Dalton Varsho, who often finds himself alongside Springer in the outfield as Toronto's center fielder, was encouraged to see the veteran return as the designated hitter.
“It’s just incredible to take a 97 off your kneecap and come off it at 55 miles an hour,” Varsho laughed. “But we’re all glad he’s in the lineup, feeling good. Glad he didn’t break down.
“Just one of those things where it looked really bad and I'm so glad he's okay.”
At the time of Springer's injury, the Blue Jays were leading 2–1 in Game 5, but the Mariners cruised to a 6–2 victory to take the lead in the ALCS.
The 36-year-old Springer enjoyed a resurgence on the season, hitting .309 with 32 home runs, 84 runs scored, 18 stolen bases and a .399 on-base percentage. He hit .256 with three home runs and six RBIs this postseason.
Pitcher Jose Berrios was seen throwing a ball into left field before practice began at the Rogers Center. Schneider said he had “nothing concrete” regarding an update on the right-hander.
“He hasn’t been there for a while, a couple of weeks,” Schneider said. “I think he's just gotten back to playing ball. We'll kind of get back to everything when the offseason comes and see what that looks like for him.”
Berrios has been on the injured list for 15 days with right elbow inflammation since Sept. 25. He has a 9-5 record with a 4.17 earned run average in 30 starts this season. He struck out 138 hitters this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
