‘I only play at one speed.’ The Blue Jays clear George Springer for launch, with a little catching up to do

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This article was published 28/04/2021 (1659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TA-DA! George Springer, Toronto Blue Jay.

One hundred and ninety-three days since he last suited up for a real baseball game, the superstar — maybe the shiniest and definitely the costliest free-agent acquisition in club history — finally made it into the lineup Wednesday evening in Dunedin.

Feels like the longest gestation period ever, this new-Jay aborning.

And while the 2017 World Series MVP was roundly heralded as being able to walk on water, for now fans will have to settle for him running the bases.

Strained quad good. Strained oblique good. If still shielded from the rigours of playing centre field, slotted into the leadoff spot as designated hitter. Which, in a corresponding move — and there will be more when Springer gets his fielding legs under him — punted Rowdy Tellez to the alt site, there to hopefully regain his hitting eye.

Springer off the injured list, Hyun-Jin Ryu on. Totally in accordance with the team’s injury groove, circa ’21. Like a stuck needle on an LP. Although manager Charlie Montoyo assures the ace is only minimally achy with a right glute strain and will likely miss just one start during his 10-day IL stint, retroactive to April 26, and should be back on the mound next week in Oakland.

Restoration to the roster for Springer, his absence dating back to March 21 at spring training — excluding recent rehab appearances — was a prolonged tease. Nobody has been more fed up with it than Springer himself.

“I’m sick and tired of being on the IL and not being out there with the guys,” the 31-year-old told reporters in a pre-game Zoom session, before the Jays hosted Washington. “I had an opportunity to play today and I said absolutely.”

Got their hat handed to them, 8-2, did Toronto. which took some of the sheen off Springer’s resurrection.

Of course, Springer is more than passingly familiar with injury furloughs in his career. The woe list: left quad strain, concussion, right wrist fracture, left quad discomfort, left thumb sprain, hamstring strain. Averaged 33 days annually on the IL since arriving in the majors in 2014 through 2019, and miraculously woe-less in the pandemic-compressed 2020 campaign. Lots of soft-tissue injury history there. Then the double whammy of strained oblique followed by strained quad at the Jays’ spring training bivouac. Just when he believed himself recovered from the oblique thing, the quad barked whilst running the bases.

“This has been a frustrating start, from a body standpoint, for me,” he allowed. “To end hurt before even opening day was tough. I felt great with my oblique and then this quad thing happened. That was upsetting to say the least, to know I was very, very close to playing and had a setback with another injury that I didn’t expect.

“But the good news is, I feel good. I’m excited to go out there and play and just kind of enjoy the game with these guys again.”

Thing is, while the organization had been ultra-cautious about activating Springer until there was 100 per cent confidence he would be at no further risk — because why gamble on such a precious asset? — he utterly lives to play. Was chomping at the bit, if heedful of the medical experts and cognizant that prudence was the better part of valour. So much for perfect is the enemy of the good.

“I just wanted to make sure that I could trust myself, to know that I could go out there and I could do the things I need to do to help this team win. I only play at one speed, so I needed to make sure I could play at that speed.”

And of course Springer — three times an all-star, twice a silver slugger recipient — wanted to prove himself, immediately justify the club’s investment in him. Even if, at this point, he has only one DH foot in the lineup, with Montoyo warning it will be a while before Springer is unshackled to patrol the outfield. Springer is cool with that.

“This is kind of just easing me back into game action. But it’s all good.”

He’s missed the daily grind of baseball, his body and mind attuned to the rhythms of a season. He’s missed going on the road with the team since his previously projected restart over opening weekend in New York was scuttled. He’s felt as useless as teats on a bull. (My metaphor, not his.) “This hasn’t been fun.”

As best he could, Springer has striven to be part of the Blue Jays fabric, in the clubhouse and in the dugout, if by necessity limited to cheerleader-in-chief. A touchstone as well for baseball chatter, the endless dialogue of hitting among teammates. “I’m not a very loud guy by nature. But if I see something, or whatever the case, I’ll say it. I want the guys to feel comfortable with me.” To not be merely in stupefied awe. “I’m just going to play the way that I know how. If I think there’s a spot where I need to help someone, or vice versa, I’m all for it.”

No, the Connecticut-born Springer isn’t a glib talker, will let his bat do the talking for him, by and by, as he always has. Even emerging relatively unscathed from the Houston Astros cheating scandal, for which he’s been more forthright and non-denying — evidently not complicit either — than most of his former teammates. The leadership bona fides, however, were part of the attractive package when the Jays came courting.

As a keen observer of his squad, Springer has had a front-row seat getting the measure of his team. In fact, he’s been the one in awe, he says, watching a club responding to the adversities of multiple injuries, their next-man-up mentality, straining to at least hang around .500 territory until missing pieces return.

“Extremely resilient” is his approving characterization. “It takes a lot to have the amount of injuries that this team has had. For guys to step up in big spots, to do things that they might not normally have to do, or have had to do in the past. It’s a little bit of what this team stands for: just keep fighting every day.”

Like everybody else, Springer was gobsmacked by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s astounding three home run performance in Tuesday’s thrashing of the Nationals. Bo Bichette and Guerrero, a pair of hot young studs, stack up just behind in the batting order, primed to knock him home.

“The most impressive part” of stunningly raking Guerrero, says Springer, “is a lot of people forget how young he actually is. He hasn’t even scratched the surface of the player he can become. I think he’s starting to understand the things he can do offensively. He’s maturing — at least from what I can understand and have seen — extremely fast. He understands what he wants to do and what he needs to do.”

What Springer needs to do is set this delayed launch firmly behind him, reclaim his timing at the plate, play catch up.

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“Honestly, I can’t feel sorry for myself; I know the guys on the other side won’t. It doesn’t matter if they’re a month ahead, a week ahead, doesn’t matter. I’ve got to compete and I’ve got to be professional. I gotta play hard.”

Only way he knows. Even if his first at-bat as a Blue Jay Wednesday didn’t cleave to a legend-shaping script: fly-ball out. He finished 0-for-4 on the night. Baseball is humbling. But being there, wearing cleats, under the (sorta) lights, adrenalin pumping, was the significant story arc.

“It’s not about the results early,” he’d said. “I understand that. So I’m gonna compete my butt off and whatever happens, happens.”

Just you wait.

Rosie DiManno is a Toronto-based columnist covering sports and current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rdimanno