It is starting to get to the point in the season where injuries can no longer define a team. Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays have taken punch after punch, and are still without too many guys. But this team is beating themselves time and time again.
The Blue Jays are still looking up at the .500 line, and while it is easy to point the finger at the injured list, Toronto has had ample opportunities to win games.
As a whole, this team is struggling as the Blue Jays are leaving way too many runners on the bases, and this team defensively can't win a playoff game, let alone the World Series.
When the team is up to bat, they don't look like the 2025 Blue Jays that were strong from No.1 through No.9, but a ballclub begging to score a run, which is why Yohendrick Pinango cannot go back to the minors whenever Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes finally come off the injured list.
George Springer is finally starting to look like the DH that the team needs, but his struggles, alongside plenty of others, mean that the rookie needs to stay on the roster.
Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Jays are knowingly playing without many players, one of whom is the team's catcher, Alejandro Kirk , who has missed most of the season with a fracture to his thumb. That has led to a young Brandon Valenzuela framing behind the plate.
Valenzuela has been great, but he has also shown his inexperience, which is why he leads the team in errors with five. But, surprisingly, both Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are not far behind, which contributes to the team ranking in the bottom third in baseball in fielding, and two stand out more than the rest:
Errors- 4th Most
Fielding Percentage- 27th
Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Pinango (24) hits a two run double against the Tampa Bay Rays during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
This season, Toronto is buying time until key players return to the roster, but it isn't just the injured list that has hurt them. Hitters like Vladdy and Springer are not coming through when the team needs.
Granted, Springer has been dealing with a fractured toe, so he has plenty of leeway. But seeing him finally hit a homer and have back-to-back games with hits is a win that the ballclub has to take.
Pinango, on the other hand, has done nothing but make contact during his rookie season. He is now hitting over .325 on the year, and unlike many in the lineup, is only striking out 15% of the time. With a team that is struggling to get runs on the board, taking a bat out of the order is not a good move.
The season is far from lost, even though the Jays are far from where they want to be right now. Keep in mind however, that this same team sat under .500 at this time last year, and look how that turned out.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as Blue Jays Notes: George Springer Finds Some Momentum, Rookie Must Stay .
