Son, 4, of Blue Jays’ Swanson struck by vehicle, airlifted to hospital in Florida

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson will be away from the team after his four-year-old son was struck by a vehicle and airlifted to a hospital in Clearwater, Fla.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider shared the update with reporters on Tuesday.

Schneider said Swanson’s son Toby was hit by a car on Sunday. Emergency crews responded quickly and airlifted the child to a Bay area hospital.

Toby is “on the road to recovery and surrounded by family.”

“I have two boys that are seven and five, and it hits home,” Schneider said, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “Baseball’s baseball. So you pray, and you hope for the best. And thankfully, that’s been the case so far. You realize how quickly things can change. And you don’t take things for granted.”

Schneider confirmed that Swanson will be away from the team “for a while” as the Blue Jays continue their spring training action. A police report has yet to be completed, and incident notes weren’t immediately available.

“Unbelievable group of guys that are in the clubhouse that are very, very close, and they spend a lot of time together off the field, along with other families,” he added.

“You lean on those guys, and you come together as an organization as quickly as you can, and you help however you can. Guys have been great. Erik and his wife, Madison, are very thankful for the support. And we’re going to continue to give it as long as we need to.”

‘Baseball is secondary’

The Blue Jays’ training complex in Dunedin, Fla., is minutes from Clearwater. Schneider said the team has been immensely supportive of Swanson and his family as they navigate through this challenging time.

“Again, baseball is secondary when you’re talking about family and life,” the Blue Jays manager continued.

“The guys have been absolutely phenomenal with him so far and you can’t forget about players’ wives and significant others that have reached out as well. It’s been a rough couple of days, but it’s really, really nice to see the support for Erik.”

Swanson has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game. The 30-year-old was acquired by the Blue Jays along with pitching prospect Adam Macko from the Seattle Mariners in November 2022 for Teoscar Hernández.

Swanson appeared in 69 games with the Blue Jays in 2023, finishing with a 2.97 ERA and 75 strikeouts across 66 2/3 innings.

With files from Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi