ESPN News Services
Oct 31, 2025, 04:03 PM ET
Designated hitter George Springer has returned to the Blue Jays lineup as Toronto seeks to clinch the World Series title, while the Los Angeles Dodgers are tinkering with their order as they seek to extend the series to Game 7.
Springer will be the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter for Friday's Game 6 after missing the past two games when he strained muscles on his right side while taking a swing in Game 3.
"Once you get confirmation that there's nothing terribly wrong, it's kind of 'What can you tolerate?'" Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "He's somehow, at age 36, made significant progress in the last 48 hours."
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will shift Mookie Betts to cleanup and play Miguel Rojas at second base. The Dodgers are searching for an offensive spark after being held to three runs and 10 hits over two straight losses to the Blue Jays in Los Angeles.
Betts at cleanup is the lowest he has hit in a lineup since September 2017 with the Boston Red Sox.
Typically hitting No. 2 for the Dodgers this season, Betts is 3-for-23 in the World Series, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 5 when he hit third for the first time in four years.
Schneider said the Blue Jays don't believe Springer can aggravate or worsen his pain by playing.
"That's kind of how we're approaching it," Schneider said. "There's always some risk too. There's a difference between being injured and hurting. He's not injured right now. But yeah, there's always a risk."
Springer has hit the second-most leadoff homers in major league history with 63, trailing only Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson's 81.
He hit a three-run homer in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners on Oct. 20, playing a major role in sending the Blue Jays to their first World Series title since 1993. That came three days after he was struck on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Seattle's Bryan Woo during the ALCS, forcing him out of Game 5. Springer returned in Game 6.
With Springer back in the lineup, Bo Bichette will play second base for the third time in the World Series after not playing the position at the major league level before.
The Blue Jays lead the World Series 3-2 and are one win from their first title since 1993. A Dodgers victory would force the first World Series Game 7 since 2019.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
