Article: Who’s the Odd Man Out When George Springer Returns?

[Leo Morgenstern]

George Springer played in a rehab game on Thursday. It doesn't look like he'll need many more. Starting at DH for the Buffalo Bisons, he went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. According to John Schneider, he could rejoin the Blue Jays as soon as tonight.

There's no doubt the Jays want Springer back ASAP. It's not that they haven't survived in his absence (they've gone 8-7 since he hit the IL), but surviving isn't the goal. This team is fighting to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. Springer and his 18 home runs, .291 batting average, .889 OPS, and 148 wRC+ can play a big part in that fight down the stretch.

However, Springer's return will prompt a difficult decision. One man in means one man out. I don't think it's hard to guess who the roster casualty will be – his name rhymes with Schmoperfido – but it will be hard to see him go.

Five position players on the Blue Jays' roster have minor league options: Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, and Joey Loperfido. I don't have to tell you that Kirk won't be going down. Neither will Barger. He's been the team's most productive lefty bat on the season, and he's needed at third base. 

That leaves Lukes, Schneider, and Loperfido. Alternatively, the Jays could choose to DFA a veteran instead – namely, Myles Straw or Ty France – but that seems far less likely. France has been terrific since he came over at the trade deadline. Straw has his niche on the roster as an elite baserunner and center fielder. The Jays won't want to risk losing either of them (while still paying their salaries), especially not with active rosters set to expand from 26 to 28 in just over two weeks.

So, that brings us back to Lukes, Schneider, and Loperfido. 

All three have played well this season. Loperfido has the best offensive numbers (.919 OPS, 161 wRC+) while Lukes has the worst (.755 OPS, 111 wRC+). Yet, Lukes is the only one who has been with the big league club all year. He has more than twice as many plate appearances as Schneider and more than three times as many as Loperfido. And while Lukes hasn't been playing his best baseball as of late, he has continued to receive more playing time than either of those other two, often as Toronto's leadoff man. I don't think he's going anywhere.

As for Schneider vs. Loperfido? The strongest argument in Loperfido's favor is that he bats left-handed, as opposed to the righty-batting Springer. Keeping him around would maintain the current lefty-righty balance. Meanwhile, optioning him would prevent John Schneider from running out the leftiest lineup possible: Loperfido, Lukes, and Daulton Varsho in the outfield, with Barger at third base and Andrés Giménez at second.

Conversely, however, optioning Schneider would limit the skipper's right-handed hitting choices. The versatile Schneider can sub in for Giménez at second while Clement plays third, giving the Jays an all-righty infield. He can also play left field, allowing him to form an all-righty outfield with Springer and Straw.

With (Davis) Schneider around, (John) Schneider can choose which one of his lefties – Varsho, Lukes, Giménez, or Barger – he wants to play against each right-handed starter the Jays face. Without (Davis) Schneider, (John) Schneider would have to play at least two of his lefty bats every day – one in the infield and one in the outfield – limiting his ability to play the matchups.

On top of all that, Schneider has simply been the better hitter lately. Loperfido was red-hot when he first came up in July. Yet, since the All-Star break, he and Schneider have similar numbers, and Schneider has been the vastly superior hitter since the trade deadline. That could have something to do with the right knee contusion Loperfido suffered on a hit-by-pitch earlier this month, but if that is indeed the reason for his recent slump, it's all the more reason he could use some time at Triple-A. 

Schneider has also demonstrated much better plate discipline, and, relatedly, he's been making higher-quality contact. Both his walk rate and barrel rate are more than three times higher than Loperfido's. Add that to the fact that Schneider has far more big league experience, and I trust his success a lot more. 

Joey Loperfido has been nothing short of tremendous for the Blue Jays in 2025. He looks like a whole new hitter compared to the overmatched rookie we first saw in 2024. Unfortunately, sometimes good isn't just good enough, and as good as he's been, Loperfido is likely headed back to Buffalo sometime this weekend. 

On the bright side, he doesn't have to be gone for long. If he hits well at Triple-A, the Blue Jays can call him back up on September 1 when they have an extra two roster spots to work with. Hopefully, the lessons he learned over the past six weeks stay with him. If they do, he'll be a nice left-handed spark for Toronto as the regular season winds down.

View full article

[BB17]

Yeah I think Loperfido is the clear choice to get optioned. He's hot a .473 BABIP so his numbers are way inflated and even before he got hit in the knee he was swinging and missing a lot more. He's been a great story but even his AAA numbers this year suggest he's barely an average hitter. Schneider in his career has been pretty good vs RHP so not even sure Loperfido would be the better option against RHP anyways.

[John_Havok]

Really, the option SHOULD be Ty France being DFA if we're being real... but since that won't happen, either Loperfido or Schneider COULD make sense depending on how the Jays prioritize IF and OF versatility. 

Schneider probably gets tabbed to stay up I think, but neither option is really "wrong"