The Blue Jays’ stunning push back into the playoff race has brought a sharper spotlight with it, and George Springer is squarely in it now.
Toronto has gotten plenty of lift from elsewhere. Alejandro Kirk is looking like an All-Star again, rookies Brett Bateman and Charles McAdoo have been sensational in August, and Dylan Cease is making the AL Cy Young race a lot more interesting. But the roster isn’t clicking everywhere, and Springer has become the glaring concern.
At 37 next month, the veteran DH looks stuck in place at the plate. He’s hitting .257/.303/.329 with a 78 wRC+, which makes this one of his roughest months since 2024. That’s happening even with his best BABIP of the year at .316, which only adds to the frustration for a club that needs more from him if this surge is going to turn into a playoff berth.
The contrast with July is hard to miss. Springer came through that month with a 147 wRC+, slugged .516, and delivered his best power output in all of 2026. The change showed up in the way he was putting the ball in play: more line drives, fewer groundballs, less pulling, and a stronger hard-hit rate.
August has stripped that away. His line-drive rate has fallen to about two-thirds of what it was in July, his groundball rate has climbed to 52.6%, and the center-field approach that worked so well a month ago has stayed in place.
That points to attack angle issues rather than timing, and the hard-hit numbers back that up. They’ve dropped from 40.7% to 26.3%.
Springer’s best days may be behind him, but Toronto doesn’t need a throwback to his peak to help this lineup. It needs the version from July. Even that would go a long way over the next five weeks as the Blue Jays try to stay in the AL Wild Card mix.
In Other News...
Blue Jays May Be About To Lose A Former Top Prospect
The Blue Jays made a notable roster shuffle by bringing back right-hander CJ Van Eyk and designating Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment, a move that speaks to how quickly the margin for young pitchers can shrink. Woods Richardson has been fighting through a rough stretch, and Torontos decision to make room points to a club still searching for stability on the pitching staff while trying to see what it has in Van Eyk.
Woods Richardson now goes on waivers, and because he is out of minor league options, any team that claims him would have to keep him on a major league roster. If he clears, he would have the choice to elect free agency, leaving the Blue Jays with a former top prospect at a crossroads and a bullpen/rotation depth picture that could change again before long. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Bichette Just Reopened A Blue Jays What-If Fans Will Feel
Bo Bichettes move to the Mets already carried enough for Blue Jays fans to sort through, but his recent comments added another layer to the departure. In talking about the leadership role he has taken on in New York, Bichette said he has been working closely with rookies A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, a reminder of how much his own path in Toronto asked him to figure things out on the fly.
Bichette also looked back on the early part of his career and the absence of a mentor, while crediting Marcus Semien for the example he set during their time together. For Blue Jays fans, it nudges open the old what-if: how different might Bichettes Toronto years have felt with more guidance around him, and what might the organization have seen if the relationship had been built to last? [Read more 🡒]
John Schneiders Future Just Became Part Of Torontos Playoff Race
The Blue Jays have spent much of 2026 in an uncomfortable middle ground, good enough to stay in the conversation but not quite secure enough to relax. At 65-70, Toronto is still hanging around the AL Wild Card picture, which means every stretch run result now carries extra weight not just for the roster, but for the manager steering it.
John Schneiders place in the discussion has become part of the backdrop, too. Sports Illustrateds Karl Rasmussen noted that a missed postseason could put Schneiders job in jeopardy even after he guided the club to the World Series in 2025, and his overall track record in Toronto has been solid over five seasons with three playoff trips. For a team still trying to turn contention into something more lasting, the next few weeks may say as much about the dugout as they do about the standings. [Read more 🡒]