Injured DH George Springer out of Blue Jays’ starting lineup for 2nd straight World Series game

LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Springer is not in the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting lineup for the second straight World Series game Wednesday night due to an injury on his right side.

Davis Schneider took over as Toronto’s leadoff hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the part-time outfielder stunned the Dodger Stadium crowd by homering on Blake Snell’s first pitch of Game 5.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with another solo home run two pitches later.

Springer has hit the second-most leadoff homers in major league history with 63, trailing only Rickey Henderson’s 81. His teammates made up for his absence by hitting the first back-to-back homers to begin a World Series game.

Bo Bichette again replaced Springer as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter for Game 5, but Springer wasn’t entirely ruled out by manager John Schneider.

“There’s a definite chance, you know, if he can pinch hit, I think he’ll be ready to do that,” John Schneider said. “I’m juggling a lot right now to kind of see how everything unfolds and who else it affects, but George has made some significant progress.”

The 36-year-old Springer strained muscles on his right side while taking a swing in the seventh inning of Game 3 on Monday night, immediately leaving the game after the first pitch of his plate appearance.

The veteran slugger didn’t play in Game 4, with Bichette going 1 for 4 and driving in a run as Toronto’s designated hitter in a 6-2 victory to even the Series.

John Schneider said Springer probably could have been a pinch runner in Game 4. The Blue Jays didn’t need to consider it after building a five-run lead in the seventh inning.

Springer worked out in the batting cage and again on the field Wednesday before Game 5, and John Schneider said the veteran felt “better than he expected to feel, better than we expected him to feel, which is saying a lot.”

A right-handed hitter, Davis Schneider was 3 for 16 over his first six games in his first postseason. He turned on Snell’s first-pitch fastball and drove it 373 feet to left for his first postseason homer.

He is playing left field instead of Nathan Lukes, a left-handed batter who hit leadoff for Toronto in Game 4 against right-hander Shohei Ohtani.

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Springer hit a three-run homer in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against Seattle last week, playing a major role in sending the Blue Jays to their first World Series since 1993.

Springer also had to leave Game 5 of the ALCS after getting hit by a pitch on his right kneecap. He returned for Game 6.

Springer was the World Series MVP for the Houston Astros in 2017, when he tied a Series record by hitting five homers against the Dodgers. Los Angeles fans have booed him at Dodger Stadium since that Astros title was later tainted by the revelation of their illegal sign stealing.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB