Blue Jays' George Springer 'Doing OK' After Injury in Collision vs. Mariners
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.
