Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson and his family experienced a horrifying moment last month when their 4-year-old son, Toby, had to be airlifted to the hospital after getting struck by a car. On Thursday, Swanson shared the good news that his son should be coming home soon.
On Feb. 25, Swanson’s son was hit by a car and had to be airlifted to the hospital for immediate medical care. Just a couple weeks later, Swanson told reporters his son has recovered well and will be discharged in the coming days.
“I stand here, very happily, telling you that in the next day or two, he should probably be going home,” Swanson said, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
In the aftermath of the accident, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the rest of the clubhouse, along with the players’ families, would do what they could to help Swanson in this difficult time. The rest of the team rallied around Swanson, his wife and Toby.
“We’re going to continue to be there for them,” Schneider said in a statement. “Baseball is secondary when you’re talking about family and life. We’re going to support him. The guys have been absolutely phenomenal with him so far, and you can’t forget about players’ wives and significant others who 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.”
While revealing the positive update about Toby, Swanson said his family appreciates the incredible outpouring of love.
“I can’t even put into words how grateful we are,” Swanson said.
Swanson, an eighth-round pick by the Texas Rangers in the 2014 MLB Draft, was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Blue Jays in November 2022. Last season, Swanson appeared in 69 games and posted an ERA of 2.97 with 75 strikeouts.
