For the most part, 2026 has been a difficult year for George Springer. He’s slashing .223/.313/.389, which is similar to his line from the worst season of his career in 2024 (.220/.303/.371). His struggles have been especially disappointing following his resurgent 2025, when he slashed .309/.399/.560 and finished seventh in American League MVP voting.

It was always going to be a tall ask for Springer to maintain his 2025. He’s 36 years old, and his stat line from 2025 is an outlier compared to his previous seasons with the Blue Jays. On top of that, Springer missed two and a half weeks in April due to a fractured big toe.

It’s possible that Springer’s toe injury was still affecting him, although he wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire before his IL stint. Springer started the season slashing .185/.290/.370 over his first 14 games of 2026. He’s performed better since returning from injury, slashing .237/.324/.401.

As more time passes since his toe injury, Springer has started to look more like himself.

He notched his 300th career home run on Tuesday night in a 6-1 win for the Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox. Not only was it a significant personal milestone, but it also helped the Blue Jays get back in the win column after dropping a series against the New York Yankees.

His home run against the Red Sox was his second in four games. He hit a two-run homer against the Yankees in Friday’s series-opening win. He hit another home run in Friday’s 16-2 loss against the Chicago Cubs. He now sits at eight home runs on the season, which is only two fewer than he had at this stage of last season.

Over his last 15 games, Springer is slashing .255/.373/.473. While that’s still lower than his 2025 stats, these numbers are more in line with his career averages (.265/.351/.474).

On top of his home run in Tuesday’s game, Springer also had a single and an RBI sac fly. It was the second straight multi-hit game for Springer, and the first time this season that he’s had multiple hits in back-to-back games. He stole two bases in the third inning of  Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Red Sox. He also had multi-games on Thursday against the Red Sox and Friday against the Cubs.

While it’s a small sample size, recent games have shown a possible return to form for Springer. He’s making consistent contact and being more aggressive on the base path. He’s also showing better plate discipline. Over his last 10 games, Springer’s strikeout rate is 15.6 percent compared to 18.1 percent on the season. Meanwhile, his walk rate is also 15.6 percent in his last 10 games compared to 10.5 on the season. While some of Springer’s recent improvements may be due to healing from his fractured toe, he also seems to be making better decisions at the plate.

Springer’s slow 2026 has played a big role in why the Blue Jays have struggled to get to .500. In 2025, Springer had a team-leading 5.2 fWAR. Alejandro Kirk was second with 4.7, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was third with 3.9, and Bo Bichette was fourth with 3.8. Bichette is no longer on the team, while Kirk has only just returned from a lengthy IL stint.

Like Springer, Guerrero has struggled to find his form in 2026. Injuries have put the Blue Jays on the back foot, but there’s only so much success a team can find when their best players aren’t performing.

If Springer can maintain his recent form, that will be a huge boost to a Blue Jays team that has struggled offensively for much of the season. Despite his struggles, the Blue Jays have stayed committed to Springer batting in the leadoff spot. This, coupled with Guerrero’s struggles, has hampered the Blue Jays’ ability to generate runs.

The Blue Jays ranked 19th in RBIs from players batting first (32). They rank 25th in RBIs from players batting third (37). In 2025, the Blue Jays led the league in RBIs from players batting first (100) and ranked 13th in RBIs from players batting third (92). The Blue Jays just haven’t gotten the production they need from the top of the order.

Springer was one of the most important parts of the Blue Jays’ roster in 2025. His struggles, along with Guerrero’s and numerous injuries, are a big reason why the Blue Jays have failed to recreate the magic of last season. If Springer’s recent form is here to stay, there’s reason to believe that the best is yet to come from the 2026 Blue Jays.

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