Blue Jays' George Springer available to play outfield if needed in World Series

"Don't be surprised if you see George Springer taking reps in the outfield during the World Series. But there's still no guarantee that Bichette will be added to the club's World Series roster ahead of Friday's 10 a.m. ET deadline. The team is still working through its options with the All-Star shortstop. Schneider said he'd prefer to avoid removing a player like Springer - who made 82 starts as the DH this season - from his comfort zone."

"Serving as Toronto's primary DH helped keep Springer fresher and more productive during the regular season. But limiting him to hitter-only duties has also presented an extra benefit recently after being struck by a 96-m.p.h. sinker on his right knee during Game 5 of the ALCS. Springer was lifted from that contest in favour of Joey Loperfido. But he returned to the lineup for Games 6 and 7 versus the Seattle Mariners, delivering the series-winning three-run bomb in Monday's comeback 4-3 win."

"If Springer is needed in the outfield, chances are he'd likely be assigned to right field, where he logged 283.2 innings across 44 games this season. He struggled throughout that limited sample size, however, posting minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-five outs above average, earning a minus-six fielding run value. Still, if moving the veteran outfielder out of the DH spot puts Bichette's bat back in the lineup, that's a trade-off the Blue Jays will happily take."

Toronto is considering moving George Springer from the DH into the outfield during the World Series to create roster space for Bo Bichette. The team must finalize roster changes by Friday 10 a.m. ET and is still evaluating options with the All-Star shortstop. Manager John Schneider prefers to keep Springer at DH but expects he can transition to the field. Limiting Springer to DH kept him fresher and may have aided his return after a knee blow in Game 5 of the ALCS; he returned for Games 6 and 7 and hit the series-winning three-run home run. Springer logged 283.2 innings in right field this season but posted poor defensive metrics, a trade-off Toronto may accept to get Bichette's bat back in the lineup.

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