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The Toronto Blue Jays activated designated hitter George Springer off the 10-day injured list Wednesday after the four-time all-star missed 15 games because of a fractured left big toe.
Eloy Jimenez was designated for assignment.
Springer wasn’t in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the visiting Boston Red Sox but came on as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. He lined an RBI single to centre on the first pitch he saw from Boston left-hander Jovani Moran. The hit gave Toronto a 6-1 lead.
It was Springer’s first plate appearance since an April 11 game against Minnesota, when he fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. Springer completed his at-bat, grounding out to third base, but was later replaced by Myles Straw.
Toronto’s leadoff hitter, the veteran Springer came in batting .185 with two home runs and six runs batted in. He was a big part of Toronto’s run to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, hitting .309 with 32 homers and 84 RBI in the regular season and the decisive homer in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against Seattle.
The 2017 World Series MVP with Houston, Springer is in the final season of a six-year deal worth $150 million US, six-year deal.
A Silver Slugger with the White Sox in 2020, Jimenez hit .290 with no homers and three RBI in 12 games with Toronto. His nine hits were singles.
Kikuchi battling shoulder tightness
Los Angeles Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi left Wednesday’s game against the White Sox in Chicago after two innings with left shoulder tightness.
The two-time all-star and former Blue Jays left-hander was replaced by lefty Mitch Farris, who had been called up from triple-A Salt Lake before the game after Joey Lucchesi was designated for assignment.
Kikuchi allowed no runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout before exiting. His average fastball velocity dropped from 94.9 miles per hour in the first inning to 92.8 in the second.
A 34-year-old from Japan, Kikuchi was an all-star last season with Los Angeles. He is 0-3 with a 5.81 earned-run average in 31 innings over seven starts.
Kukuchi is in his eighth major league season and pitched for Seattle, Toronto and Houston before signing as a free agent with the Angels in November 2024. He has career mark of 48-61 with a 4.51 ERA.
Los Angeles entered Wednesday having lost five straight and nine of 10.
Crochet has shoulder inflammation
The Boston Red Sox put left-hander Garrett Crochet on the 15-day injured list because of left shoulder inflammation and recalled utilityman Nate Eaton from triple-A Worcester.
Last year’s American League Cy Young Award runner-up, when he went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, Crochet has a 6.30 ERA through six starts in 2026.
Crochet (3-3) struck out seven over six shutout innings in Saturday’s 17-1 win at Baltimore, looking every bit the ace Boston traded for in December 2024 and signed to a six-year, $170-million US contract in March 2025.
The Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches following Saturday’s game.
Crochet’s win over the Orioles came two starts after the ugliest outing of his Red Sox career, an 11-run debacle over 1 2/3 innings at Minnesota on April 13.
Crochet has been an AL all-star each of the past two seasons.
Eaton was batting .292 with three homers and 12 RBI in 27 games at triple-A. He played for Kansas City in 2022 and 2023 and appeared in 41 games for Boston last season.
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