Toronto Blue Jays lead the American League standings and reinforcements are coming
As good as Canada's lone big-league squad has been this season, the club is set to get even better.
Reinforcements will soon be on the way for the Blue Jays, who beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Thursday in the rubber game of a three-game interleague series.
Outfielder/designated hitter George Springer — one of the team's top performers this season — will likely return at some point during a three-game series against the Texas Rangers that starts Friday night.
'He's been right in the middle of everything this year,' said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. 'And not just with his performance, but I think with what we're doing on the bases and with what the dugout feels like and things like that.
'So looking forward to getting him back.'
Springer has been out with a concussion since he was hit in the helmet by a pitch on July 28 against Baltimore. The veteran slugger has been taking batting practice in recent days and was scheduled to serve as DH in a tune-up game for Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday night.
Over 101 games, Springer has a .291 average, 18 homers, 57 RBIs and an on-base and slugging percentage of .889. He has primarily served as DH this season but can still be slotted into the outfield as needed.
'There's probably benefit to getting him in the outfield a little bit more with how we're built right now … (but) I think he's done really well in the DH spot,' Schneider said. 'I want to keep that going.'
Newly acquired starter Shane Bieber could also join the team later this month. He was tabbed to start Friday night in what could be his final rehab appearance for the Bisons.
Bieber has been out for over a year after undergoing elbow surgery. Once activated, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner could give the Blue Jays a front-of-the-rotation weapon.
In addition, top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage was recently promoted to Triple-A and could be in the mix for a late-season call-up. Starter Alek Manoah (elbow) is also rehabbing with the Bisons and could return to Toronto this season as well.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
The Blue Jays improved their American League-best record to 71-51 with their latest victory.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning off Matthew Boyd to make a winner of Max Scherzer (3-2), who worked seven-plus innings.
'I was just fighting the whole entire at-bat looking for a pitch to hit,' Guerrero said via interpreter Hector Lebron. 'It happened that he left that pitch hanging and then I could connect.'
The Blue Jays improved their AL-best home record to 40-20. Toronto leads the major leagues in hits (1,116), batting average (. 268) and on-base percentage (. 337).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
14 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kingsley Coman joins Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix at Al-Nassr in transfer from Bayern
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Kingsley Coman is leaving Bayern Munich after a trophy-filled decade to join up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Bayern announced the transfer late Friday. The French winger, a Champions League winner with Bayern in 2020, will be part of a star-studded forward lineup with Ronaldo, fellow new signing João Félix and Coman's former Bayern teammate Sadio Mané. Al-Nassr is looking to improve after finishing third in the Saudi Pro League last season and signed Ronaldo to a two-year contract extension in June. Coman's departure from Bayern comes two weeks after the German champion signed Luis Díaz from Liverpool, intensifying Coman's competition for places. He got a fond farewell from Bayern coach Vincent Kompany after they won the Bundesliga together last season. 'When a player as successful as him leaves the club, it's always a bit emotional,' Kompany said earlier Friday. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'You have to have understanding for his position in this situation and what he'd like. For me, what's important now is that we look forward and that we show a lot of respect for Kingsley Coman, for what he's done for this club.' Coman won the German title nine times at Bayern since his initial arrival on loan from Juventus in 2015. Despite that success, the 29-year-old winger struggled for playing time last season and was often used as a bench player by Kompany, even before Díaz's arrival. Coman had nine goals in 45 games in all competitions last season and is the second experienced Bayern forward to leave after Leroy Sané departed for Turkey's Galatasaray on a free transfer, also after lacking game time. ___ AP soccer:
Globe and Mail
44 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
My father, the lifelong Cubs fan
This week, as I covered games between the Blue Jays and Cubs for The Globe and Mail, I couldn't help but think about him. My dad, Ernie, was a lifelong Cubs fan. It didn't matter that they lost far more often than they won. He almost seemed to enjoy the suffering as they clutched defeat from the jaws of victory time and again. On Thursday afternoon they lost to Toronto in an exciting yet cringeworthy manner. They were behind 2-1 in the eighth inning but had runners on second and third with nobody out. Their next three batters struck out, as did three in the ninth inning. I'm sure my dad, who died 43 years ago on Friday, would have seen it coming. Jays get complete effort in series-winner over Cubs My father grew up in Chicago, less than a block from Wrigley Field. When he was young, he would sneak into the ballpark by sliding under the turnstiles. He was nabbed by an usher every now and then but when he wasn't, he'd get to watch his beloved Cubs. This was mostly in the 1920s and 1930s so he saw some of baseball's greatest stars. He mentioned Hack Wilson to me. The Cubs' centre fielder hit 56 home runs and drove in a record 191 RBIs in one season. My dad died of leukemia in 1982 at age 64. In that terrible last year one of his greatest joys was to lay on the couch and watch the Cubs and broadcaster Harry Caray on TV. Usually the team was not very good and because of that he was denied the elation of ever seeing them win a World Series. He would love them, curse them and then love them again all in a matter of five minutes. Whether it's a new contract or building a contender, Shapiro focuses on the task at hand He passed on a love for baseball to my brother, Jeff, and I, and from us to our children. I passed mine along to my son, Matt, who lives and works in Boston and naturally is a Red Sox fan. I bought him his first glove when he was 6 years old and we tossed a ball in our front yard in New Brunswick a few hours later. I am sure he will do the same thing when he has kids. That love for a team, no matter how good or bad, is one of the most remarkable things about sports. In 1939 my dad met my mom, Bea, at a movie theatre where she sold candy and popcorn. Later, after he became a musician, he wrote a song about her called Candy Girl. They married in 1941 and he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for four years on both the Western Front and the Pacific Rim. He returned from World War II hard of hearing from artillery fire and with partial vision in one eye where it was pierced by a piece of wire. After the war he played the piano and had his own orchestra and never stopped root, root rooting for the home team. My brother, Jeff, was born in Chicago in 1949, and two years later the family moved to Miami. I was born in 1957. At the time, there was no major league team in Miami but he would take us to see the minor-league Marlins, and during spring training, the Baltimore Orioles. My rebellious brother horrified him by choosing to be a Chicago White Sox fan. I have always loved the Orioles, the first big league team I saw in person. Although I can't find a record of it, I have a vague memory of dad taking me to the old Miami Stadium to see the great Satchel Paige pitch for the triple-A Marlins. The Hall of Famer was likely in his 60s and barnstorming after playing three years for the Marlins, but still threw 90 miles per hour. Between innings he sat in a rocking chair outside their dugout. My father retired from music and became the chief steward at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach. The Rat Pack – Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. – used to stay there and so did President Kennedy and the Rolling Stones. My dad tolerated the Beatles but not so much Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. He told me that he saw them lounging by the pool once and wanted to dash over and cut their hair. He would plan summer vacation trips to Chicago around the Cubs' schedule. His favourite player was Ernie Banks. It would take three days to drive to Chicago in my dad's old station wagon but we would get to see the Cubs Cubs lose a handful of times and he would be happy. My dad had retired in 1981 and was diagnosed with leukemia just months later. There was a very fast downward spiral and he was in and out of the Veterans Hospital multiple times. Near the end I was sad and scared but would talk baseball with him to cheer him up. He died on Aug. 15, 1982 – 43 years ago Friday – and his ashes were buried in a Veterans' cemetery in St. Petersburg, Fla., where my brother's family lived. On Nov. 2, 2016, the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years. After losing three of the first four games to Cleveland they flipped the script and won the following three. I watched Game 7 from my home in Toronto and cried when the final out was recorded. The next day my brother pedalled his bike to the cemetery in St. Petersburg and left a Cubs hat and a hand-written note from the both of us at his grave. Dad, the Cubs finally did it. This is for you.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Rangers visit the Blue Jays to open 3-game series
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt prepares to throw to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh) Texas Rangers (61-61, third in the AL West) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (71-51, first in the AL East) Toronto; Friday, 7:07 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Jacob deGrom (10-5, 2.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 143 strikeouts); Blue Jays: Chris Bassitt (11-6, 4.17 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 128 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rangers -116, Blue Jays -103; over/under is 7 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Blue Jays begin a three-game series at home against the Texas Rangers on Friday. Toronto has a 40-20 record in home games and a 71-51 record overall. Blue Jays hitters have a collective .426 slugging percentage to rank fourth in the AL. Texas is 24-35 on the road and 61-61 overall. The Rangers have a 27-9 record in games when they hit at least two home runs. Friday's game is the fourth time these teams meet this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 29 doubles, 20 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Blue Jays. Ernie Clement is 15 for 42 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games. Corey Seager leads the Rangers with 17 home runs while slugging .461. Kyle Higashioka is 10 for 34 with three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 6-4, .310 batting average, 3.44 ERA, outscored opponents by 27 runs Rangers: 3-7, .229 batting average, 4.25 ERA, outscored by 10 runs INJURIES: Blue Jays: George Springer: 7-Day IL (head), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bowden Francis: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Burr: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Nick Sandlin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (ankle), Anthony Santander: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alek Manoah: 60-Day IL (elbow), Angel Bastardo: 60-Day IL (elbow) Rangers: Wyatt Langford: day-to-day (forearm), Adolis Garcia: 10-Day IL (ankle), Jacob Webb: 15-Day IL (back), Chris Martin: 15-Day IL (calf), Tyler Mahle: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
