The Toronto Blue Jays are awaiting the return of outfielder Anthony Santander. When the Blue Jays signed Santander during the 2024 offseason to a five-year, $92.5 million deal they were expecting to get a reliable force in the middle of the lineup.
Instead he has been anything but. When on the field he has been a shell of his former self, but the bigger problem is that he simply has not played enough games, appearing in just 54 in 2025 and zero in 2026.
Santander has not played at all this regular season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder back in February with a recovery time of five to six months.
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However, Santander has finally made progress in his recovery. He progressed to baseball activities in August, taking swings and throwing at the Blue Jays’ spring training complex.
Now the team has decided he is ready for game action. Ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Athletics, the Blue Jays announced that Santander will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.
The plan is for him to first get acclimated by playing designated hitter before returning to the outfield for several games to get his timing back. That approach makes sense given that Santander’s path to playing time this year would be in the outfield, with George Springer having the designated hitter role solidified.
If Santander returns it is unclear what he will provide. He is now two years removed from a 2024 All-Star campaign with the Baltimore Orioles.
However, he will get a chance to see if he can rediscover that form and help Toronto’s playoff push down the stretch.
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