George Springer’s pending return presents added excitement to Blue Jays’ relentless offence
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Photo credit: Bisons PR
Thomas Hall
Aug 16, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 16, 2025, 00:23 EDT
This Toronto Blue Jays offence truly never quits. They’re never out of a game, no matter the score. They continue to find ways to win games.
That’s precisely what transpired Friday night in front of yet another sold-out crowd at the Rogers Centre. Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom held them in check across five scoreless innings, allowing only a pair of baserunners to reach safely. It was a much different version of deGrom than the team faced on May 26, the only outing of his career where he failed to record a strikeout.
This game was quiet on Toronto’s end… until it wasn’t.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Alejandro Kirk trimmed that deficit to a single run with his eighth home run of the season. Even after former Blue Jay Marcus Semien blasted a two-run shot of his own, this offence kept grinding. Amidst a four-run frame in the bottom half of the eighth, sparked by Kirk’s two-run single, tallying his third and fourth RBIs of the night, they were rewarded with a well-earned 6-5 victory.
Coming from behind is in their DNA, and it’s one of the many reasons why these Blue Jays continue to prove they have the makings of doing something special this post-season.
“There’s zero quit in these guys,” manager John Schneider said of Toronto’s latest heroics. “They kind of look forward to the challenge at this point. It’s fun to be a part of. It’s fun to watch them operate, and it’s a really good atmosphere here.”
The Blue Jays have become comfortable in this position, as Schneider explained. It’s not the way they’d prefer to win games. But, after proving they’re capable of coming from behind after so many times, they’re not afraid to keep going to that well, either.
If there’s one thing this season has taught us, it’s that you can never count out this team. They’re a relentless bunch. That’s a key part of what makes their identity as a group so strong, and they’re about to become even stronger as George Springer re-enters the fold.
For the most part, this lineup has done fine in Springer’s absence, which has spanned over two weeks after he sustained a concussion during a hit-by-pitch against the Baltimore Orioles on July 28. They didn’t skip a beat in Colorado, exploding for a historic 45 runs in three games versus the Rockies, the most they’ve scored over a three-game series in franchise history.
But there’s no question the Blue Jays’ lineup is deeper with him back in the mix.
Toronto’s offence has faced quite the gauntlet of starting pitchers without Springer of late — Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow in Los Angeles last weekend, Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd against Chicago earlier this week, and deGrom on Friday.
That’d be a tough test for any lineup. In the Blue Jays’ case, though, they’ve run through it without one of their best hitters.
Springer has found the fountain of youth in his age-35 season, leading the team with his .506 slugging percentage. On top of that, he’s supplied 18 home runs — one shy of matching last season’s total — with 57 RBIs, a .291 AVG, .383 OBP and 148 wRC+ (100 league average) in 101 games.
So, even with as well as they’ve fared during this stretch, you can be sure that Toronto will be pleased to welcome Springer back from the IL on Saturday.
After homering in his second and final triple-A rehab game on Friday, Springer is ready to come back up and help the Blue Jays this weekend. During his two contests in Buffalo, the right-handed-hitting outfielder went 2-for-5 with a double, home run, three runs scored and a walk — serving as the DH both times.
While Springer’s return presents added excitement, it’ll also mean the Blue Jays will have to make a tough decision regarding which player leaves the 26-man roster. With rosters expanding in a few weeks, they may decide to play it safe and option Joey Loperfido or Davis Schneider rather than exposing a veteran player to waivers, such as Myles Straw.
Those conversations are never easy, and they aren’t ones you look forward to having, especially when someone like Loperfido has done everything in his power to earn consistent playing time. For a team currently leading the American League, though, obstacles like this come with the job.