Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer hits a single in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 26.Rick Osentoski/Reuters
George Springer will be in the Buffalo Bisons’ lineup on Thursday as the team’s designated hitter.
The 35-year-old outfielder was sent there by the Blue Jays on Wednesday as part of a triple-A rehab assignment that will likely see him start in the outfield on Friday and possibly rejoin the major league club during the weekend.
Springer was in the midst of his best season since he signed as a free agent with Toronto in 2021 when he was struck in the head by Baltimore reliever Kade Stroud on July 28.
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It was hoped that Springer would be back sooner but until very recently he was still dealing with vision problems resulting from the concussion.
Before he was injured he had a .291 batting average with 18 home runs, 57 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases.
Manoah struggles in rehab start
Alek Manoah made his first rehab start on Wednesday afternoon in Buffalo and it did not go well.
The 27-year-old gave up three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings in the Bisons’ 9-4 loss to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Manoah, who finished third in the American League’s Cy Young voting in 2022, allowed two hits, walked three and hit one batter.
He has not played a full season in the major leagues since 2022 and is trying to recover from elbow surgery that was done last year. He threw 49 pitches that included 27 strikes.
“Walks got his pitch count up,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before the evening contest against the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre. “He needs more strikes.”
Manoah headed back to Toronto afterwards and will meet with staff on Thursday. The right-hander has struggled with wildness in attempted returns to the big leagues.
Jays introduce first-round pick Parker to media
JoJo Parker, the Blue Jays’ first-round selection in this year’s draft, was introduced to journalists on a video call on Wednesday from the team’s training facility in Dunedin, Fla.
Parker, 19, is a shortstop from Mississippi, where he played for Purvis High School. He was selected by Toronto with the eighth pick and signed on with the Blue Jays with a US$6.2-million bonus.
Schneider said he has yet to talk to Parker but expected him to travel to Toronto in a few weeks.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about him,” Schneider said. “Everyone I know in the amateur world was raving about him.”
Good teams have good luck
Schneider joked that he decided not to fine Ernie Clement for missing a bunt sign during Tuesday’s 5-1 win over Chicago. Clement ended up hitting a three-run homer on the pitch.
“I would have fined him if he popped up or hit into a double play,” Schneider said.