George Springer out of Toronto's starting lineup for World Series Game 4 against Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Toronto's George Springer was out of the starting lineup for Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, a day after hurting his right side during a swing.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider had said about 2 1/2 hours before game time that he prepared two lineups, one with Springer at designated hitter and one without. Schneider would not reveal the results of Springer's MRI.

“Just kind of getting himself moving and swinging,” Schneider said. “I think swinging will be the key to see kind of — to determine if he’s in there or not. But he was the first one here, a lot of treatment, a lot of work, and George is going to do everything he can to be ready.”

Bo Bichette, his mobility limited after returning from a sprained left knee that sidelined him for seven weeks, was the DH. Bichette started at second base in Games 1 and 3, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa started at second in Game 4.

A four-time All-Star, Springer injured himself on a swing in the seventh. The 36-year-old designated hitter was in pain after fouling off a first-pitch sinker from Justin Wrobleski and left the game.

Springer was hitless with two strikeouts in his first three at-bats of Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, where fans loudly booed him before each at-bat. Dodgers fans will never forget the 2017 World Series MVP’s role for the Astros, who beat Los Angeles in seven games for a championship that was later tainted by Houston’s sign-stealing activity.

Springer was 14 for 57 with four homers in the postseason for the Blue Jays, including 3 for 11 in the World Series. His three-run homer in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series propelled Toronto past the Seattle Mariners and into its first World Series since 1993.

He was struck on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Seattle's Bryan Woo during the ALCS on Oct. 17, forcing him from Game 5, but he returned two days later favoring the knee.

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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider helps George Springer off the field with an injury during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, center, walks off the field as he leaves with an injury with manager John Schneider, left, and first assistant athletic trainer Voon Chong, right, during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer leaves the game with an injury during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, center, walks off the field as he leaves with an injury with manager John Schneider, left, and first assistant athletic trainer Voon Chong, right, during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

HAMMONTON, N.J. (AP) — Two helicopters crashed midair in New Jersey on Sunday, killing one person and critically injuring another, authorities say.

Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Video from the scene shows a helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Police and fire crews subsequently extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters.

The Federal Aviation Administration described the crash as a midair collision between an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and Enstrom 280C helicopter over Hammonton Municipal Airport. Only the pilots were on board each aircraft. One was killed, and the other was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Sal Silipino, owner of a cafe near the crash site, said the pilots were regulars at the restaurant and would often have breakfast together. He said he and other customers watched the helicopters take off before one began spiraling downward, followed by the other.

“It was shocking,” he said. “I’m still shaking after that happened.”

Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek told NBC10 that he was leaving a gym when he heard a loud snap and saw two helicopters spinning out of control.

“Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air,” Dameshek told the TV station. “And then it looked like the second helicopter was OK for a second, and then it sounded like another snap or something ... and then that helicopter started rapidly spinning out of the air.”

Hammonton is a town of about 15,000 people located in Atlantic County in the southern part of New Jersey, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia. The town has a history of agriculture and is located near the Pine Barrens, a forested wilderness area that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares).

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash, Friel said.

Investigators will likely first look to review any communications between the two pilots and whether they were able to see each other, said Alan Diehl, a former crash investigator for the FAA and NTSB.

“Virtually all midair collisions are a failure to what they call ‘see and avoid,’” Diehl said. “Clearly they’ll be looking at the out-of-cockpit views of the two aircraft and seeing if one pilot was approaching from the blind side.”

Although it was mostly cloudy at the time of the crash, winds were light and visibility was good, according to the weather forecasting company AccuWeather.

Associated Press writer Sean Murphy contributed from Oklahoma City. Fernando reported from Chicago.

Debris from a helicopter is shown after two helicopters crashed in Hammonton, N.J., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)

Authorities look over the scene after two helicopters crashed in Hammonton, N.J., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)