Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer will likely spend time in right and left field this season, manager John Schneider said Wednesday. 
The Blue Jays skipper told reporters, including <a href="https://x.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1892263262965616834" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MLB.com&#8217;s Keegan Matheson</a>, that the 35-year-old may occasionally be deployed in the opposite corner outfield spot in 2025. Since debuting with the Houston Astros in &#8217;14, he&#8217;s only made one career appearance in left field, logging just three innings of experience in &#8217;18.
Springer has earned most of his reps in right over the last two seasons, compiling 1,137.2 innings during the &#8217;23 campaign and 1,029.2 a season ago. He also hasn&#8217;t seen much time in centre during that span, registering a combined 11 innings across a pair of appearances.
Having the four-time All-Star move to left would allow fellow outfielder Anthony Santander to play his natural position in right, where he&#8217;s totalled 4,213 innings over 514 career games versus the 90 contests he&#8217;s played in left. Last season, the former Baltimore Oriole didn&#8217;t make a single appearance on the left side of the outfield and only made one start the year prior.
Schneider also said both Springer and Santander could bounce back and forth between right and left field throughout this season based on matchups for each opponent. Either hitter could also rotate through the DH spot as a way to keep their bats in the lineup regularly.
Springer said <a href="https://x.com/ShiDavidi/status/1892272937312395481" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he&#8217;s excited about playing both corner outfield positions</a> and is willing to follow any direction he receives from his manager. That also applies to his role within Toronto&#8217;s batting order, which, as Schneider described, will remain fluid moving forward.
The right-handed-hitting outfielder will continue to receive opportunities as the club&#8217;s leadoff hitter, although he won&#8217;t be alone in that regard. Other candidates who could hit atop the order include shortstop Bo Bichette, second baseman Andrés Giménez and utility player Will Wagner, according to Schneider.
Toronto&#8217;s staff hopes to squeeze more juice out of Springer&#8217;s declining bat this season following a disappointing 2024 campaign that featured a concerning .220/.303/.371 slash line and 95 wRC+ (100 league average) in 145 games. He also failed to reach the 20-home-run mark for only the second time in his 11 major league seasons, excluding &#8217;20.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer will likely spend time in right and left field this season, manager John Schneider said Wednesday. 

The Blue Jays skipper told reporters, including <a href="https://x.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1892263262965616834" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MLB.com's Keegan Matheson</a>, that the 35-year-old may occasionally be deployed in the opposite corner outfield spot in 2025. Since debuting with the Houston Astros in '14, he's only made one career appearance in left field, logging just three innings of experience in '18.

Springer has earned most of his reps in right over the last two seasons, compiling 1,137.2 innings during the '23 campaign and 1,029.2 a season ago. He also hasn't seen much time in centre during that span, registering a combined 11 innings across a pair of appearances.

Having the four-time All-Star move to left would allow fellow outfielder Anthony Santander to play his natural position in right, where he's totalled 4,213 innings over 514 career games versus the 90 contests he's played in left. Last season, the former Baltimore Oriole didn't make a single appearance on the left side of the outfield and only made one start the year prior.

Schneider also said both Springer and Santander could bounce back and forth between right and left field throughout this season based on matchups for each opponent. Either hitter could also rotate through the DH spot as a way to keep their bats in the lineup regularly.

Springer said <a href="https://x.com/ShiDavidi/status/1892272937312395481" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he's excited about playing both corner outfield positions</a> and is willing to follow any direction he receives from his manager. That also applies to his role within Toronto's batting order, which, as Schneider described, will remain fluid moving forward.

The right-handed-hitting outfielder will continue to receive opportunities as the club's leadoff hitter, although he won't be alone in that regard. Other candidates who could hit atop the order include shortstop Bo Bichette, second baseman Andrés Giménez and utility player Will Wagner, according to Schneider.

Toronto's staff hopes to squeeze more juice out of Springer's declining bat this season following a disappointing 2024 campaign that featured a concerning .220/.303/.371 slash line and 95 wRC+ (100 league average) in 145 games. He also failed to reach the 20-home-run mark for only the second time in his 11 major league seasons, excluding '20.

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