Blue Jays still waiting on George Springer, add outfield depth in Jarrod Dyson

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This article was published 27/08/2021 (1519 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It will be all hands on deck as the Blue Jays make a push for the playoffs.

Who will be involved in that push is still being sorted out, with questions about a number of Jays starters and depth pieces still to be answered as September draws near.

The big question, of course, surrounds centre-fielder George Springer. The 31-year-old spent Toronto’s recent homestand seemingly preparing for a return from a knee injury, including running the bases at Rogers Centre on Thursday. At one point in the week, manager Charlie Montoyo suggested there was a chance, however small it was, that Springer would only need the minimum 10 days to recover from the Grade 1 sprain he suffered when he crashed into the outfield wall during a game against the Seattle Mariners earlier this month.

But Springer wasn’t back on the roster for Friday night’s game, the first of three in Detroit. The only moves Toronto made before facing the Tigers were to place reliever Brad Hand on the bereavement list and promote right-hander Connor Overton, who didn’t concede a run in his first 6 2/3 innings with the club.

Springer continues to be considered day to day, Montoyo said on a pre-game video call Friday. The manager said he felt fine a day after his baserunning drills but there was more preparation to be done.

“Today he’s going to do outfield drills and he’s going to take coaches’ (batting practice) on the field,” Montoyo said.

The manager said Springer was being considered for a Saturday return, depending on how he felt after Friday’s work.

He is not the only one the Jays will be looking at adding down the stretch. Catcher Danny Jansen and reliever Nate Pearson are progressing on their rehab assignments with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, and there will be a couple of roster spots opening up for September call-ups.

Jansen, out since late July with a hamstring strain, participated in two games with the Bisons this week, though he was not in the starting lineup on Friday. He had a sacrifice fly as a designated hitter in Wednesday’s game and caught five innings on Thursday. His return would create a bottleneck at the catching spot should Reese McGuire and Alejandro Kirk stick on the roster, but his connection with left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu could benefit the up-and-down Jays starter.

Pearson, who has dealt with groin injuries on and off this season, will also get a look, even as the Jays bullpen has improved in recent weeks. He now has four rehab outings with the Bisons, mostly recently giving up a just walk in an inning of work on Wednesday.

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Montoyo said earlier this week that the Jays would consider a promotion for Pearson depending on how he showed in his next outing. That outing came and went successfully for the flame-thrower, who had a strong showing out of the bullpen during last year’s wild-card series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

While most options will have to come internally at this point in the season, the Jays added a new name to their group Friday by claiming outfielder Jarrod Dyson off waivers from the Kansas City Royals. Dyson, 37, hit .221 wit a .567 OPS for the Royals this season. His forward-thinking baserunning abilities are likely what attracted Toronto’s front office to the 12-year league veteran, and he presents the Jays with another option on defence and off the bench, Montoyo said.

“His speed, he can steal bases,” Montoyo said of Dyson, who has eight this year. “It’s another weapon for us to have.”

Montoyo expects Dyson to join the team before the end of the Detroit series. The manager didn’t say how the Jays would find room on the roster to add Dyson.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy