Blue Jays hurler leaves team after son, 4, struck by car

Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson will be away from the team “for a while” after his 4-year-old son, Toby, was struck by a car on Sunday, manager John Schneider said.

Swanson’s son, who turned 4 last month, was airlifted to a hospital and “is on the road to recovery,” according to the manager, who shared the news at the team’s complex in Dunedin, Fla., on Tuesday.

“Family comes first. Our love, support and prayers are with Erik, Madison and Toby and the rest of the Swanson family,” Schneider said.

Swanson and his wife Madison, who also share a 1-year-old daughter, Parker Kari, have yet to address the incident publicly.

According to a police report, cited by the Toronto Sun, Toby was struck by a 2024 Ford Expedition near a hotel on Clearwater Beach, near the Blue Jays spring training complex.

Toby was flown by helicopter to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg where he was listed in critical condition.

“Thanks to the incredible work from the Clearwater first responders, Toby is on the road to recovery and is surrounded by his family,” Schneider said.

“The guys have been phenomenal so far,” Schneider said of his team’s support for Swanson and his family. “And you can’t forget about players wives and significant others who have reached out. It’s been a rough couple of days but it’s nice to see the support.

“Baseball is secondary when you are talking about family and life.”

Earlier this month, Swanson shared photos with his son while at a workout in Dunedin.

“Put Toby through a full day of work at the field today!” the 30year-old pitcher wrote at the time.

Swanson is entering his second season with the Blue Jays after a trade with the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Teoscar Hernández in November 2022.

The reliever spent the first four seasons of his major league career in Seattle. In 69 appearances last season, Swanson was 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 66 2/₃ innings.