The Blue Jays’ 6-2 loss to the Mariners in Game 5 of the ALCS puts the Jays down 3-2 in the series, and in must-win mode heading into Game 6 in Toronto on Sunday. With such a critical game coming up, the Jays are also facing an injury question to one of their best hitters, as George Springer was removed from Game 5 of the ALCS after being hit in the right knee by a Bryan Woo fastball.
Facing Woo in the seventh inning, Springer was drilled directly on the right kneecap by the pitch, leaving the designated hitter down for several minutes in obvious pain. Springer eventually got up and gingerly walked to first base while trying to lightly jog to test his knee, but it was clear that Springer could barely walk properly (let alone run) and Joey Loperfido took over as a pinch-runner.
Talking to the Canadian Press and other media post-game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Springer was dealing with a right knee contusion and that x-rays were negative. Springer is day-to-day for now, and a return for Game 6 wasn’t ruled out. As Schneider put it, “he’ll have to really, really be hurting to not be in the lineup on Sunday.”
The off-day before Game 6 will help Springer’s chances of being ready, yet it is hard to imagine that he would be 100 percent given the clear discomfort all over Springer’s face in the aftermath of the hit-by-pitch. Operating at a DH means that Springer can limit his involvement solely to hitting, yet his ability to run is now a clear question mark going into the biggest game of the Jays’ season.
Since the injury appears to be just day-to-day, it can be assumed the Blue Jays aren’t considering removing Springer from the ALCS roster. Such a move would eliminate Springer from inclusion for the Jays’ potential World Series roster, and while just getting past the Mariners is Toronto’s more immediate concern, the club isn’t going to end Springer’s season unless he is entirely compromised physically.
Springer’s comeback year has been arguably the key element to the Jays’ success in 2025. It seemed like Springer was on the decline after underwhelming performances in both 2023-24, but he roared back to hit .309/.399/.560 with 32 home runs over 586 plate appearances. Springer’s 166 wRC+ was both the highest of his 12-year big league career, and the third-highest mark in all of baseball this season (behind just Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani). The output has continued in the postseason, as Springer has hit .256/.318/.615 with three homers in 44 PA during the Blue Jays’ playoff run.
If only he knew what pitch was coming..
Tough road for the Jays at this point. Having to go into an elimination game possibly missing their two best hitters in Bichette and Springer.
Also, pretty classless by the Mariners fans who booed him after he got up. Not all M’s fan that were at the game were doing it, I’m sure, but the ones who did are garbage.
@Canuckleball
My understanding is that Jays fans there were booing the pitcher for hitting George. Probably a mix of both. Honestly, It’s just booing. If you’re going to take the emotions out of the game then let’s just run computer models for these games and fans can watch and boo at home.
I’m not talking about booing in general. I had no problem with the Seattle fans booing Springer every at bat. I get it.
It’s generally understood there are always only 2 acceptable responses to an injured player when he gets up. You either cheer politely, or you shut up.
I also don’t buy for a second that Jays fans were booing the pitcher at that moment. They would have been too busy cheering Springer for getting up. The boo’s started up almost the instant he started getting to his feet.
I agree as a die hard Mariners Fan it was classless. I was texting my son about not feeling bad about him getting hurt. It is wrong to boo but also wrong to cheer a player getting hurt. The boos started up and I said it is classless. The Mariners fans can boo him when ho goes to the plate. They can boo him when he gets on base and many other times. You can’t boo any player when he gets hurt. Doing so is beyond classless. I believe a few people started it and the rest joined in not really understanding why they were booing. Come on Seattle keep it classy.
@Canuckleball
So, you’re talking about unwritten rules. While I don’t boo injured players, I also understand that sports is about emotions for many fans and that’s how people function at a sports event in the playoffs. If you grew up in the 70s to 90s, you’d know about the emotional environment in the playoffs not only from fans but from the players as well. I think we’ve become sterile to the idea that we have to remove emotion from the game as the game became more corporate.
Imo their best hitter is VG Jr. The booing was off putting, but I was wondering if some of it was aimed at Woo from the Toronto fans.
I was meaning over the season. Bichette has been their best pure contact guy, and Springer was the best overall. Vladdy has actually showed up in the playoffs which has helped make up for missing Bo, but it’s still a depleted offense at this point if Springer is no longer close to 100%.
Yeah, definitely weakens Toronto’s offense w/out those two.
More or less classless that cheating to win a World Series?
i would boo him and every other player on that 2017 Astros team. All should have banned
You don’t know what you’re talking about. At all.
They weren’t booing, they were saying boo-urns.
They’re booing him because he’s a cheater. You can call that classless but there’s nothing more classless than cheating to win a World Series.
@rct
What’s wrong with cheating to win? MLB didn’t punish the players so no harm. Sounds like you’re angry because your team is bad at playing the game.
His knee was ok, but his buzzer was shattered.
Right player for the joke. Wrong team.
Don’t like Springer or any 2017 Astros, but that was bush league for Mariners fans to cheer a potential injury.
Bush league is needing to cheat to win.
New to baseball? Finding an angle to skirt the rules is a time honored tradition
The Ms were cheated against by the Astros and Springer as much as any team since it was still a weighted schedule then. Seattle doesnt claim to have some moral high ground. We hate cheaters, especially since none of the players were ever punished and none have ever taken responsibility. We booed Correa on the Twins and Bregman on the Astros too. He wasn’t hit in the head, blood wasn’t pouring out, and it wasn’t intentional. After that, karma is a biotch.
I’m sure Seattle fans booed Teoscar too every time he came up in a Mariners jersey, right? You Pearl clutchers who still hold what was a widespread issue across the league against these guys almost a decade later are so unserious.
Damn
John Schneider is going to have a hard time not playing Springer. Pretty sure Springer will do everything he can to be in a Game 6 elimination game. Hopefully the day off helps, that must have hurt like an mfer…
Sounds like the x-rays were positive, actually.
Mariner fans were hoping for a cracked knee cap. Sorry you classless punks.
Using video and buzzers. That’s cheating. Stealing signs, that’s baseball. Don’t pretend like it’s otherwise!