George Springer played a crucial role as the Toronto Blue Jays opened their series against the Tampa Bay Rays with an impressive 10-5 victory Tuesday. Springer went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored as Toronto collected 17 hits and improved to 62-65.
The win was the Blue Jays’ 14th in their last 21 games and came against the American League-leading Rays.
Toronto desperately needs its veterans to heat up and remain consistent down the stretch, and Springer is one of the players the club will be counting on. Despite a down year for the 2017 World Series MVP, there is reason for optimism.
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Springer has been considerably better lately, and Blue Jays manager John Schneider addressed some recent concern after the veteran appeared to wince following swings and misses.
“We’ve checked him out. Everything’s checked out. He’s just, I think, feeling this part of the season and when he swings and misses he feels it more … I’m checking in with him every day” (h/t Mitch Bannon of The Athletic).
The 36-year-old was outstanding in 2025, but his production has regressed this season. He entered Wednesday hitting .234/.315/.389 with a .704 OPS, 100 wRC+ and 12 home runs after slashing .309/.399/.560 with a .959 OPS and 166 wRC+ last season.
Toronto entered Wednesday fourth in the AL East and currently holds the final AL wild card spot with 35 games left.
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The Blue Jays will look to take another step Wednesday against Tampa Bay. Max Scherzer is scheduled to start for Toronto against Drew Rasmussen, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.
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