Blue Jays' New George Springer Update Before Red Sox Game

The Toronto Blue Jays are starting to look like themselves again. After opening the 2026 MLB season as reigning American League pennant winners and getting off to a rocky 10-15 start, Toronto won back-to-back games over the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend. They took two of three in the series and enter Monday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox at 12-15.

The injury situation, however, continues to cast a shadow over a roster built to compete. Among the most significant absences in the lineup has been George Springer. The four-time All-Star fractured his left big toe on April 11 after fouling a pitch off his foot in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins, and has missed 13 consecutive games.

Springer has since spent several days swinging in batting cages before progressing to running, with manager John Schneider describing Thursday as "probably his best day of hitting" and noting that Springer "checked every box physically."

Now, per Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling, Springer is facing live pitching on-field at Rogers Centre on Monday afternoon. This is expected to be the final step before a return to games, and a development that suggests he could bypass a rehab assignment entirely.

George Springer is facing live pitching on-field at Rogers Centre this afternoon. Ought to be the final step before he's back in games and could mean he's foregoing a rehab assignment

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 27, 2026

The timing is good news for Blue Jays fans. Despite a slow start to the season, Springer remains one of Toronto's most reliable hitters. In 2025, he posted a career-best .309 average with a .959 OPS, 32 home runs, 84 RBIs and 106 runs scored across 140 games, and helped the Blue Jays reach the World Series for the first time since 1993.

His return to the lineup won't fix everything overnight, but it fills one of Toronto's most pressing needs at the moment. With Springer nearing a return, the Blue Jays also continue to anticipate more reinforcements in the lineup.

First pitch between the Blue Jays and Red Sox is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre, with Dylan Cease, who leads all of baseball in strikeouts, taking the mound for Toronto against Ranger Suárez.

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 3:30 PM.