It appears the Toronto Blue Jays could have their leadoff hitter back in the lineup when they return to Rogers Centre for a six-game homestand, starting Friday against the Cleveland Guardians.

There’s a chance that George Springer (fractured big left toe) may be activated off the injured list prior to the series opener versus the Guardians. He’s technically eligible to return for Wednesday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, but he isn’t ready to be cleared just yet.

The 36-year-old designated hitter (or offensive player) tested his fractured toe on the field pre-game in Anaheim on Tuesday, participating in light running drills with moderate levels of intensity, as documented by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. He also took swings off a pitching machine and has been throwing in the outfield as he continues to trend in the right direction.

With an off-day on Thursday, the Blue Jays will be able to re-evaluate Springer’s status and determine his next steps ahead of this weekend’s series versus the Guardians. It’ll likely be a pain-tolerance situation from here, with the four-time All-Star providing feedback on how much discomfort he’s able to play through — specifically while hitting and running the bases.

Addison Barger (left ankle) also resumed running on Tuesday, albeit at the player development complex down in Dunedin, Fla. He had already been participating in hitting, throwing and fielding drills at the PDC, and the club feels encouraged by the progress he’s made thus far, per manager John Schneider.

At the moment, Springer appears to be a few steps ahead of Barger’s return timeline, though neither is likely too far away from rejoining the team off the IL.

There’s also a positive update regarding Yimi García (elbow surgery), who’s facing hitters during live BP for the first time this year on Wednesday at the PDC. The 35-year-old reliever had previously been limited to bullpen and side sessions. But now that he’s checked off this box, it’ll soon become much easier to map out a potential timeline for the start of his eventual rehab assignment.

Before that happens, the Blue Jays will likely want García to throw another few live BP sessions and maybe even a simulated game or two before starting his 30-day rehab clock.

Coming off Tuesday’s disappointing Triple-A rehab start, during which Trey Yesavage (shoulder impingement) allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits and four walks over 2.1 innings, Schneider said the team remains undecided on where he’ll make his next start. The plan is to have him target around 80 pitches, whether that’s back with the Blue Jays or during one final outing with the Buffalo Bisons.

But after Patrick Corbin logged another encouraging start, holding the Angels’ lineup to one run over five innings a night ago and compiling a second straight solid performance, the veteran southpaw’s recent emergence may allow the organization to exercise a bit more patience with Yesavage as he irons out some early-season mechanical issues.

The next time Cody Ponce’s vacated rotation spot will come around will be Monday’s series opener versus the Boston Red Sox — a game that’ll either be started by Corbin or Yesavage.

For those wondering about Ricky Tiedemann (elbow soreness), Schneider revealed that the 23-year-old lefty has resumed throwing bullpens at the PDC after being shut down for a few weeks in late February. From there, he’ll need to face live hitters again and likely conduct a few up-down sessions before beginning a rehab assignment.

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