It was a place of both triumph and scorn for George Springer. The last time he played at Dodger Stadium in the Fall Classic, he was the hero, hitting .379 with five home runs–four of which left the stadium. But that was 2017. This time, in Game 3, he returned to the same stadium, filled with boos at every at-bat, because the LA fans have a long memory of that tainted championship.

George Springer’s night ended early after he appeared to injure himself on a swing against Justin Wrobleski’s 95 mph fastball. He fouled off the first pitch, immediately grabbed his right side, and called for the trainer after trying to walk it off. Following a brief discussion, he motioned to the dugout and exited the game.

Afterward, the updates weren’t encouraging. Reporter Ben Nicholson-Smith tweeted, “Right side discomfort for George Springer, who went for an MRI. Considered day to day.” Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi confirmed, “Left with right side discomfort, said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. He went for an MRI, and the club is awaiting results.” Schneider looked concerned while explaining the situation postgame.

“Yeah, George, it’s it’s some right side discomfort,” Schneider said after his club’s Game 3 loss in 18 innings. “He’s already gone for an MRI… S–ks, you know, he’s obviously a huge part of our lineup. Glad I got him out when I did, and hopefully, you know, didn’t make anything worse, but we’ll see how he is tomorrow.”

Ty France stepped in to replace Springer in the middle of the at-bat and inherited a 0-1 count, who later battled for eight pitches but eventually struck out in his very first plate appearance of the entire 2025 postseason.

France stayed in the game as the DH, where he and other hitters in the leadoff spot went a combined 2-for-9 with three strikeouts.

But the recent injury is just a brutal climax of a painful postseason for Springer

In Game 5 of the ALCS, he was hit by a 96-mph Bryan Woo’s fastball directly in the right kneecap and left the game. And he was playing through it.

Then again, in Game 2 of the World Series, he again took a hit on his forehand on a Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch in the third innings, who later pitched for a complete game with over 100 pitches.

But he refused to sit out and played through this severe situation to help his team win the World Series.

And what if Springer cannot play? The Blue Jays are gonna miss a player who hit .309 with 32 home runs and a .959 OPS in a renaissance season.

And most importantly, the 36-year-old carried that momentum right into October. His go-ahead, three-run homer in Game 7 of the ALCS ended Toronto’s 32-year World Series drought.

But in the night, he was injured; he was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

In a situation when the team was trailing 2-1 in the World Series, this injury creates a strategic nightmare for John Schneider. Schneider was already juggling a complex roster and trying to get star shortstop Bo Bichette back into the lineup, who was returning from his own left knee sprain.

So the plan to use Bichette as the designated hitter and have Springer move to the outfield can rest in peace. It’s no longer possible.