Saturday, Blue Jays outfielder George Springer turned his ankle on a defensive play at the wall. He would leave the game and then sit out Sunday. The Blue Jays had an off day on Monday, but then Tuesday Springer was placed on the injured list due to a left knee injury. It came as a surprise, given that it appeared to only be an ankle injury, but apparently his knee has been bothering him as well.
Still worse is that Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters that they aren't sure of a timeline and that they hope it's not season-ending (via Scott Mitchell of TSN).
Springer, 31, has missed a large portion of the season as he earlier missed months due to a quad injury.
Upon his return, however, he didn't waste any time. In 49 games this season, he's hitting .269/.362/.610 (159 OPS+) with 12 doubles, a triple, 16 homers, 35 RBI and 40 runs. The Blue Jays went 9-2 in their first Toronto homestand of the year with Springer hitting .409 with six doubles, a triple, five homers and 16 RBI in those 11 games.
Heading into Tuesday's action, the Blue Jays had won 13 of their last 19 games and were four games out of the second AL wild card.
Losing Springer for what sounds like longer than a minimum 10-day stint on the injured list is a huge blow. As illustrated above, he can carry an offense when he gets really hot, as he did during that homestand. The Blue Jays have four of their next five series against non-contenders before facing the A's Sept. 3-5 and Yankees Sept. 6-9. If Springer can get back in time for that stretch, consider it a major victory.
Springer signed a six-year, $150 million deal with the Blue Jays this past offseason.
