The Blue Jays have placed outfielder George Springer on the 10-day disabled list because of right elbow inflammation, with the placement retroactive to Aug. 5. Utility man Otto Lopez has been activated from the cab team to fill Springer’s spot on the active roster.
Springer has been dealing with a sore elbow for much of the season, and the injury appears to have worsened over the past six weeks. The Jays have frequently rested Springer or used him as a DH, but since he’s only played in two of Toronto’s last seven games, it appears a full stint of IL was necessary to allow Springer to fully heal. Over his last 29 games and 130 plate appearances, Springer hit a modest .226/.310/.409, so his bad elbow clearly seemed to affect his production.
A healthy Springer is critical to the Blue Jays’ chances of making the postseason and making a deep run into October, so the outfielder and the team can only hope this trip to IL finally corrects the issue of the elbow Springer’s injury likely factored into the Jays’ decision to acquire Whit Merrifield at the trade deadline, and Merrifield now looks to get most of the time in center field while Springer is out, with Raimel Tapia and backup Bradley Zimmer providing more depth.
Lopez could also be in the mix, as center field is one of four positions (along with left field, second base and shortstop) he has played this season at Triple-A Buffalo. Lopez has also hit .267/.357/.424 over 246 PA with the Bisons. MLB Pipeline ranks Lopez as the fourth-best prospect in the Jays’ farm system, impressed by his speed and hitting, even if Lopez appears to lack power. The 23-year-old has appeared in exactly one MLB game in each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.