George Springer remains out as Blue Jays share latest injury update

Springer ran the bases and took live batting practice before Toronto's game with the Red Sox, which is about as meaningful a pregame test as he has had since the toe injury.

That matters because the Blue Jays are no longer just talking about cage work or light movement. Springer is now testing baseball actions that actually decide whether he can play.

The progression has been steady. Three days ago, CBS Sports reported Springer was already hitting on the field and running ahead of Toronto's game, with base running expected to come soon after.

Now that next step has arrived. Athlon Sports, citing Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling, reported Springer faced live pitching on the field Monday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

That is why his absence from the lineup still stood out. MLB's official starting lineups page showed Springer was not in John Schneider's card for Monday night against the Red Sox.

So this became a caution story more than a setback story. The Blue Jays clearly liked the progress, but not enough to put him straight back into game action yet.

That is the real tone around Springer at this point. The club does not seem worried about whether he is moving forward. It is focused on making sure the last step does not create another problem.

Earlier reports already suggested Toronto was treating this as a box-checking process. Schneider had said Springer was having one of his best hitting days and had checked every box physically before this latest jump to live work.

That fits the way the Blue Jays have handled him since he fractured his left big toe on April 11. The goal has not been a dramatic return date. The goal has been getting him through hitting, running and now live competition without a setback.

Toronto's lineup still feels that absence. Springer has been one of the club's regular table-setters, so every extra day out forces Schneider to keep patching the top of the order.

But Monday's update changed the mood around it. Springer may not have been in the lineup yet, but once a player is running the bases and taking live batting practice, the return starts feeling close enough to picture.

For the Blue Jays, that is the biggest takeaway. George Springer remained out Monday, but the work he got through before first pitch made it look a lot more like a final wait than a lingering worry.