Blue Jays: It’s time to reconsider George Springer in the leadoff spot
George Springer’s time in Toronto has had its fair share of ups and downs.
He was excellent when healthy in the first two seasons of the six-year, $150-million deal he inked ahead of 2021. He struggled the next two before shocking the baseball world with an MVP-calibre campaign in 2025, capped off by a legendary home run in Game 7 of the ALCS to send the Blue Jays to their first World Series since 1993.
Unfortunately,
Springer has been a shell of the player who delivered that signature moment so far in 2026. The time has come for the Blue Jays to recognize this and construct their lineup accordingly, which means removing him from the leadoff spot.
Springer is slashing a paltry .202/.283/.343 with five home runs and 14 RBI thus far. His wRC+ has fallen from a career-best 166 to 78, and he’s been worth -0.4 fWAR through his 45 games this season—many of which he played while nursing a fractured toe.
He has experienced worse batted ball luck in 2026, but this decline in production goes far deeper than BABIP or a foot injury. He’s also seen a steep decline in his barrel rate and hard-hit percentage compared to last year. His .140 isolated power is the lowest of his career—the thump has left his bat.
Blue Jays: It’s time to reconsider George Springer in the leadoff spot© Via The Nation Network
Yet, despite all of this, the Blue Jays have continued to have Springer hit leadoff because of his pedigree. That needs to change if they intend to compete in 2026, especially against tough right-handed pitchers against whom he has posted even worse numbers.
Springer has a .590 OPS against right-handed pitching this season—that is well below replacement level. Nathan Lukes has a .798 OPS by comparison and is probably the most logical candidate to hit first. Rookie Yohendrick Piñango could also be an option with his .902 OPS and four home runs in 85 at-bats against right-handers.
Ernie Clement is another candidate to bat leadoff, given how well he has been hitting, especially once Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger are back to lengthen the lineup. He’s slashing .316/.333/.460 against righties, effectively becoming platoon neutral after some stark splits last year.
All three would be better options than Springer atop the lineup right now. The Blue Jays need to give those valuable at-bats to someone who is performing better, at least until Springer gets rolling. Hitting lower in the lineup could be exactly what he needs to rebuild his confidence.
The fact of the matter is that it is not early anymore.
Tough decisions need to be made. Springer could still end up having a great year, but none of the data under the hood suggests a turnaround is coming. The Blue Jays need to accept this and make a change at leadoff.
