Toronto Blue Jays May Shift George Springer to Outfield Role

The Toronto Blue Jays have been struggling with injuries this season, but as they get healthier, they're getting closer to contention in the American League East. With a record of 33-35, the team is sitting firmly in third place, and manager John Schneider is looking to make some changes to get them back on track. One of the players who has struggled the most when healthy is veteran DH George Springer, who has been a hero of the 2025 World Series run. However, in 2026, he's been a completely different player, slashing .202/.283/.343 with just 5 home runs and 14 RBI across 46 games. Schneider has hinted at a plan to get Springer back in the outfield, where he had a combined 185 at bats across the three positions in 2025. This change likely comes from the emergence of rookie Yohendrick Pinango, who has been mauling right-handed pitching this season, posting 4 home runs and 17 RBI across just 89 plate appearances against righties while hitting .348 in that time. As a result of this and Pinango's struggles in the outfield, the team may look to DH him against righties, and if Springer is to find his way back into the lineup on a permanent basis, he will need to do so by providing value as an outfielder as well. This isn't to say that Springer is done, but with the team needing to be at their very best, he can't be an everyday DH anymore, and this is going to result in some big changes to the Jays lineup if it continues like this.