The Toronto Blue Jays have been in need of reinforcements for some time. They got their first line of defense back when Trey Yesavage returned to the mound and dominated the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night (Apr. 28), but the offense is still lacking the juice it had last year.
Luckily, it appears one of the team's most important bats is on the cusp of returning to the fold. George Springer has run the bases and faced live pitching in practice this week, and so long as his body responds well to the repetitions, he could skip a rehab assignment altogether and could be activated on Wednesday (Apr. 29)
George Springer is facing live pitching on-field at Rogers Centre this afternoon. Ought to be the final step before he's back in games and could mean he's foregoing a rehab assignment
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 27, 2026
It may not be the smartest idea in the world to rush a rusty Springer back into action -- he's been on the injured list since April 11 with a fractured toe -- but the Blue Jays need him. Eloy Jiménez has done an adequate job filling in at designated hitter, but Lenyn Sosa has been a disaster at the plate since he was acquired in a trade with the White Sox.
If the Blue Jays are going to reach their full potential in 2026 after a slow start, they're going to need a healthy and productive Springer atop their lineup.
George Springer's return could prove as fateful turning point in Blue Jays' season
When Springer originally went down, it was just one of many injuries the team suffered in early April. Even with Yesavage back in the mix, the rotation is still missing Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and José Berrios. Meanwhile, the lineup remains without Alejandro Kirk, Nathan Lukes, and Addison Barger.
That's why it's imperative that Springer returns as quickly as possible. He wasn't playing particularly well before hitting the shelf, batting just .185/.290/.370 (86 wRC+) with two home runs, but he was turning a corner when he got hurt. In his three games prior to fracturing his toe, the 36-year-old had one double in each game and an .896 OPS.
In a perfect world, he'd come back and revert to his 2025 self, when he preposterously posted a career high wRC+ of 166 and 5.2 fWAR. But even if he's still a step below that level, his steady presence atop the lineup would be game-changing for a struggling offense; the only player with an OPS over .800 at the moment is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. That's unacceptable for a World Series hopeful.