LOS ANGELES — Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer exited Game 3 of the World Series with a right side injury, leaving his status for Game 4 uncertain.
Springer injured himself on a swing in the seventh inning Monday night. He was clearly in pain as he grabbed the right side of his body immediately after fouling off a 95 mph fastball from Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski. Springer called for a Blue Jays athletic trainer, and there was almost no discussion of him staying in the game.
“George, it’s some right side discomfort,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Toronto’s 6-5, 18-inning loss. “He already went for a MRI. We’ll see how it comes back and see how he walks up [Tuesday], but it sucks.”
Ty France replaced Springer with an 0-1 count and eventually struck out in an eight-pitch at-bat against Wrobleski. Springer, France and Davis Schneider combined to go 2-for-9 with three strikeouts out of the leadoff spot.
“He’s obviously a huge part of our lineup,” Schneider said of Springer. “Glad I got him out when I did and hopefully it didn’t make anything worse, but we’ll see how he is [Tuesday].”
Springer was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, where he was routinely booed before each at-bat — a callback to his days with the Houston Astros and their sign-stealing scandal of 2017 and 2018. Springer was the 2017 World Series MVP when the Astros beat the Dodgers in a seven-game World Series.
Springer had three hits during the first two games of the World Series in Toronto.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.
