Springer’s wound sends Blue Jays reeling

SEATTLE — Critical person outfielder George Springer left Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Mariners with a left ankle sprain after slamming into the outfield wall and landing awkwardly on the warning note at T-Cell Park.

The 9-3 loss that without delay unraveled after Springer’s wound change into as soon as already regarded as one of many hardest of the season for the Blue Jays, but losing Springer for any extended period — again — would be a magnificent better blow to Toronto’s postseason hopes.

Springer without delay went for X-rays, which got here motivate unfavorable. Lawful after the recreation ended, Springer went into Charlie Montoyo’s office at T-Cell Park and speedy his supervisor that he’d be all real. That left Montoyo inspired, but the group will proceed to show screen this over the coming days and can proceed with caution.

Springer change into as soon as monitoring a flit ball off the bat of Ty France when he extended his glove up to possess the play, but he hit the wall laborious and rolled the ankle when he got here down. After getting motivate up and looking out to stroll to the outfield grass, Springer went motivate to the flooring and change into as soon as in determined distress. Montoyo and the Blue Jays’ practicing workers ran out to support Springer, who at final left the self-discipline very slowly.

“That change into as soon as a scary moment for our complete personnel. It’s George Springer,” Montoyo acknowledged. “Since he’s obtained motivate, we’ve been playing sizable. Pointless to suppose we don’t are looking out to omit him, but the beautiful files is that he’s going to be all real.”

Three batters later, Luis Torrens launched a 3-rush skyscraper over the left-self-discipline fence, and Jarred Kelenic made it motivate-to-motivate jacks appropriate moments later. Interior a subject of minutes, the Blue Jays had misplaced Springer and the recreation, allowing the Mariners to pull even with them within the AL Wild Card rush. The bullpen meltdown within the later innings only allowed the Mariners to pile on in entrance of a raucous crowd, but the wound change into as soon as already executed.

Till the seventh, it regarded love starter Hyun Jin Ryu change into as soon as going to support the door inaugurate long ample for the Blue Jays’ lineup to interrupt by. Coming off of Friday’s monstrous loss within the sequence opener, which ended on a bases-loaded stroll, this recreation regarded love the becoming bounceback opportunity and regarded as if it can well even be headed in that direction. The Blue Jays did themselves no favors, despite the incontrovertible reality that, going appropriate 1-for-10 with runners in scoring location.

This couldn’t come at a worse time for the Blue Jays, who salvage grew to became the nook since their return to Toronto on July 30 and had been gaining steam. Springer has been on the forefront of that, literally and figuratively, transferring motivate into the leadoff order and claiming motivate-to-motivate AL Player of the Week honors.

It’s evident that Springer obtained’t be within the lineup for Sunday’s finale in opposition to the Mariners as the Blue Jays strive to defend away from the sweep, and Monday’s off-day will buy the Blue Jays some time as they proceed to gain into fable the ankle.

“I appropriate in actuality hope that it’s no longer a gigantic wound,” acknowledged Ryu, who allowed four runs over 6 1/3 innings but regarded very engaging except the tip. “We’ve obtained to gain the next couple of days to gaze how he’s. Any time in a recreation when a teammate will get injured love that, it’s appropriate one thing you don’t are looking out to gaze. Optimistically he’s better at this time.”

Springer’s 2021 debut change into as soon as delayed by two quad injuries after he signed his six-365 days deal for a club fable $150 million this previous offseason, making Saturday appropriate his 49th recreation in a Blue Jays uniform. He on the starting save returned for a handful of games at DH in leisurely April and early May maybe sooner than reaggravating that real quad, and at final returned at 100 percent on June 22.

Reckoning on the extent of Springer’s wound, the Blue Jays’ outfield depth would per chance be tested, on the other hand it’s risen to that test sooner than. Teoscar Hernández is a mainstay in real while Randal Grichuk would gain over in heart alongside Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left. Corey Dickerson is now a in actual fact handy portion of this puzzle as properly after coming over from Miami in a alternate earlier this season, and young Josh Palacios no longer too long within the past returned from a hand wound at Triple-A, representing the next wave of depth.

That would possibly per chance sort itself out, counting on how long Springer desires to gain the ankle motivate to 100 percent, but Saturday night’s losses save the predominant heart of attention motivate on the massive reveal. The Wild Card rush isn’t getting any clearer as we reach the midway point of August, and if the Blue Jays are without regarded as one of baseball’s easiest all-round players for more than appropriate a few days, that hill will get appropriate a minute steeper.