Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer was carted off the field during Saturday's wild-card game against the Seattle Mariners following a collision with Bo Bichette in shallow centerfield.

After the game, a 10-9 loss that eliminated Toronto from the postseason, interim manager John Schneider told reporters that Springer is "doing OK" and that he is going to be evaluated "for a few things."

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Mariners shortstop J.P Crawford hit a popup to centerfield. Both Springer and Bichette tried to catch the ball but ended up colliding as the ball fell to the ground, resulting in Seattle tying the game 9-9 after once trailing 8-1.

Jackie Bradley Jr. replaced Springer in the outfield.

Springer dealt with a number of injuries during the regular season that limited him to 133 games. However, he was fully healthy entering the postseason.

When healthy, Springer played well during the regular season, slashing .267/.342/.472 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He even earned the fourth All-Star Game selection of his career.

Raimel Tapia and Whit Merrifield typically see more playing time in center field when Springer is sidelined. However, Tapia replaced Merrifield earlier in Saturday's game after the latter was hit in the head by a pitch.

That said, none of Springer's replacements are as effective.

The Blue Jays finished second in the American League East with a 92-70 record, 7.0 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. They lost the first game of the wild card round 4-0 on Friday and Saturday's game is win or go home.

The Toronto Blue Jays have clinched a spot in the playoffs Thursday thanks to the Baltimore Orioles' 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

It will be just the second postseason appearance in the last six seasons for the Blue Jays, with the other coming during the shortened 2020 season. The team was swept out of the first wild-card round that year.

Toronto will again compete in the wild-card round after the New York Yankees clinched the AL East.

The Blue Jays are still a dangerous team, however, as they possess one of the best offenses in baseball.

The lineup ranks first in the majors with a .260 batting average, while power hitters Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Matt Chapman, Bo Bichette and George Springer can change a game with one swing of the bat.

On the mound, Alek Manoah has developed into an ace while earning his first All-Star selection this season. Kevin Gausman and Ross Stripling have also had strong seasons and provide some much-needed postseason experience on this young roster.

All-Star closer Jordan Romano has had some bumps in the road as of late, but the team should still have confidence in the right-hander going into the playoffs.

With talent throughout the lineup and a World Series MVP capable of taking over in Springer, Toronto could be a scary opponent for the AL's top teams.

The Toronto Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. under team control for three more years, but the two-time All-Star would like to be with the organization for a lot longer.

Speaking to Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star, Guerrero explained he "would love to play here my entire career."

"Since I got to the big leagues, I've always felt that way," Guerrero said through his interpreter, Hector Lebron. "Especially now when you start feeling the love from the fans and the city."

Coming into the year, Guerrero told a fan in his Instagram story that the Blue Jays had not offered him a long-term contract.

There have been a number of long-term deals signed by young players in recent years. Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with the San Diego Padres in February 2021.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (10 years, $212 million) and Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez (minimum eight years, $209 million) signed deals last month.

Guerrero is earning $7.9 million this season, his first year of arbitration. The 23-year-old's salary will increase exponentially if he continues to go through the arbitration process.

Based on track record, one could argue Guerrero deserves a more lucrative deal than Riley and Rodriguez. He finished second in American League MVP voting last season after leading the league with 48 homers, 123 runs, 363 total bases, a .401 on-base percentage and .601 slugging percentage.

Guerrero has also proved to be incredibly durable. Since 2020, he has only missed two total games.

The Blue Jays have $128.8 million in guaranteed salary commitments in 2023. The total doesn't include arbitration-eligible players such as Guerrero, Teoscar Hernandez, Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette.

This roster is going to start getting expensive, but it's hard to argue with the results they have produced on the field. The Blue Jays went 91-71 last season but missed the playoffs. They are currently in the top AL wild-card spot with an 82-63 record.

After being released by the Boston Red Sox last week, veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has found a new home in the same division.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Bradley is signing with one of Boston's AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Prior to being released Thursday, Bradley was in his second stint in Boston after being acquired along with two minor leaguers last December as part of a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Hunter Renfroe. The 32-year-old was a staple in the Red Sox lineup from 2013 to 2020.

Bradley earned an All-Star selection in 2016 and a Gold Glove Award in 2018. That season, he helped lead Boston to a World Series title, earning ALCS MVP honors along the way.

Despite Bradley's stature within the Red Sox organization, his struggles at the plate this season made it hard to keep him on the roster. At the time of his release, he was hitting .210 with three home runs and 29 RBI in 92 games while making $9.5 million on the contract he had signed with Milwaukee.

"He had some stretches at home that were good. Obviously, he struggled toward the end," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "We weren't able to get him to be consistent hitting the ball the other way. This year, there weren't too many strikeouts. But toward the end, there were a lot of ground balls to the pull side. Offensively, it just didn't work out."

The left-handed hitter joins a Blue Jays team that is second in the AL East with a 60-49 record entering Tuesday. Toronto has an opening in center field with George Springer on the injured list with an inflamed elbow.

Bradley should fill in adequately until Springer returns, and once that happens, he can provide some outfield depth for the Blue Jays as they chase a wild-card spot.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced Saturday that they placed outfielder George Springer on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 5 because of right elbow inflammation.

The team added that it called up infielder Otto Lopez from Triple-A Buffalo to occupy Springer's spot on the roster.

Springer, 32, has had his elbow issues pop up over the past couple of months. He left in the eighth inning of a June 21 loss to the Chicago White Sox with elbow discomfort.

Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider removed Springer prior to the ninth inning of a July 28 game against the Detroit Tigers. He hurt his elbow during an at-bat the previous inning.

When Springer has been healthy, he's played well with a .251/.331/.464 slash line, 18 homers and 49 RBI in 338 at-bats over 89 games.

Springer was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career this season and the first time in his two seasons with the Jays.

The loss of Springer will likely lead to more playing time for Raimel Tapia. The 28-year-old is hitting .277/.299/.398 with five homers and 37 RBI in 289 plate appearances. Bradley Zimmer should also see more playing time, likely as a defensive replacement late in games.

After a slow start this season, the Blue Jays have hit their stride. Their 59-47 record is the third-best mark in the American League, behind the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.

Losing Springer takes away a key piece of Toronto's lineup, but this roster has so much offensive talent that it should be able to keep scoring runs in bunches until he returns.

Whit Merrifield can play for the Toronto Blue Jays when they open their homestand next Friday as he's fully vaccinated against COVID-19, he told reporters Thursday.

If the second baseman did not get vaccinated, he wouldn't have been eligible to participate in Toronto's home games because of Canada's vaccine requirements.

The Kansas City Royals sent Merrifield to the Blue Jays ahead of MLB's trade deadline Tuesday in exchange for right-hander Max Castillo and minor league infielder Samad Taylor.

Merrifield joined the Blue Jays on Thursday ahead of their four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. He is in Thursday's lineup, batting eighth and playing center field, per Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star.

The 33-year-old told reporters last month that he would consider getting vaccinated if it meant playing for a team that could face Toronto in the playoffs.

"I understand what Canada has in place right now. That’s the only reason that I would think about getting it at this point is to go to Canada. That might change down the road. Something happens, and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes."

However, Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider told reporters Wednesday that the team would not require the veteran to get the shot.

"Obviously we know he wasn’t there in Toronto, but totally up to him," Schneider said. "And I’m sure that he’s had conversations with his family and other people. So, you know, we’re leaving that decision up to him."

Merrifield is having a down season, hitting .240/.290/.352 with six home runs, 42 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 95 games. However, he's a nice depth addition for the Blue Jays, who will likely use his versatility to play him both at second base and in the outfield.

Merrifield spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Royals, earning two All-Star selections. He agreed to a four-year extension in 2019 and is under contract through the 2023 season with a mutual option for 2024, per Spotrac.

Toronto enters Thursday's game against the Twins second in the AL East with a 58-46 record, 11 games behind the New York Yankees. The club has a three-game lead in the wild-card race.

The Blue Jays have a 97 percent chance to make the playoffs, per FanGraphs.

Amid injury concerns for George Springer, the Toronto Blue Jays are seeking to upgrade their outfield prior to the trade deadline.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Blue Jays are interested in Chicago Cubs' All-Star Ian Happ in part because of his ability to play center field.

Springer sat out Toronto's win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday with an elbow injury. The four-time All-Star told reporters on July 22 he's "going to have to fight through stuff all year."

The expectation has been Happ and Willson Contreras will be traded by the Cubs prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. Both players basically said goodbye to fans at Wrigley Field during Chicago's July 26 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates before the team went on a road trip that ends on Friday.

The Cubs have no reason to keep either player since they are in the early stages of rebuilding their farm system. Contreras is eligible for free agency after this season.

Happ could net the team a significant return in a trade by virtue of having one more year of team control in 2023 before he can become a free agent.

Springer has not been placed on the injured list, but the Blue Jays could make him their primary designated hitter to ease some of the burden on his body. He had imaging done on his ailing elbow on July 22.

After sitting out Toronto's first three games following the All-Star break, Springer returned to the lineup on July 26. He sat out two of the team's three games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend.

Happ has been an incredibly versatile player for the Cubs over the past six seasons. The 27-year-old has started games in left field, center field and DH in 2022. He also has experience playing right field, first base, second base and third base.

In addition to his positional versatility, Happ is having a strong season with the bat. He is hitting .279/.360/.436 with 36 extra-base hits and 46 RBI in 99 games with the Cubs.

The Blue Jays (57-45) are a distant second place in the American League East, 12 games behind the New York Yankees. They do have a three-game advantage over the Tampa Bay Rays for the top wild-card spot.

Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer exited Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers after suffering an injury to his elbow.

According to Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star, the injury occurred during Springer's at-bat in the eighth inning and he didn't come back out for the ninth. He had gone 1-for-5 with a run prior to exiting.

Springer has dealt with some injuries already this season. He missed two games at the start of June with a non-COVID-19 illness.

During the Blue Jays' 7-6 loss to the Chicago White Sox on June 21, Springer was lifted for a pinch hitter because of elbow discomfort. He was held out of the lineup for their series finale against the White Sox the next day to undergo more tests.

When Springer has played this season, he's been a productive hitter at the top of Toronto's batting order. The three-time All-Star has a .255/.332/.475 slash line with 18 homers and 47 RBI over 326 at-bats.

The Blue Jays haven't lived up to expectations this season, though their 46-42 record has them in the wild-card mix. Manager Charlie Montoyo was fired by the club on July 13, with bench coach John Schneider taking over on an interim basis.

Toronto does hold the the lead for a wild-card spot in the AL entering Thursday. Springer's prolonged absence would leave a huge void in the Blue Jays lineup and outfield.

Bradley Zimmer is capable of handling things defensively in center field if Springer has to miss time. Cavan Biggio could see more at-bats at designated hitter to provide more offensive punch until Springer is able to return.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Santiago Espinal will take the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve's place in Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game.

Espinal, who is headed to the Midsummer Classic for the first time, sports a .271 batting average with six home runs and 37 RBI.

Altuve is day-to-day with a left leg contusion after he was hit by a pitch Thursday. He was slated to start the game, which is set for Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium.

The Cleveland Guardians' Andres Gimenez, who was named as a reserve, will start at second.

Numerous All-Stars will not play because of injuries, including Blue Jays center fielder George Springer, Astros designated hitter-left fielder Yordan Alvarez and Philadelphia Phillies DH Bryce Harper.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, Boston Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez and Miami Marlins first baseman-DH Garrett Cooper had already been named as replacements.

The AL has won 20 of the last 24 All-Star Games, including the last eight, to take a 46-43-2 lead over the NL.

AL East players compose a big chunk of this year's AL team. Two of Espinal's teammates (catcher Alejandro Kirk and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) will start, and staff ace Alek Manoah is also headed to L.A.

The first-place New York Yankees have six All-Stars, including two starters in outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will air on Fox.