WEST SACRAMENTO -- A big bat is nearing a return to the Blue Jays. But will he be back by the end of the regular season?
Anthony Santander is set to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday with Triple-A Buffalo, manager John Schneider announced before Monday’s series opener against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. After undergoing surgery to repair a torn left shoulder labrum in February, Santander will begin working his way back to the Major Leagues.
The outfielder will need a lengthy, Spring Training-style ramp-up before rejoining Toronto, Schneider said. He will play his first rehab game as a designated hitter before getting reps in the outfield.
“It’ll be a handful of games, at least,” Schneider said of the assignment length. “We want to see how he’s feeling, how he’s hitting the ball. We’ll definitely be in touch with him once he gets rolling.”
When healthy, Santander could be a huge addition as a switch-hitting slugger with prodigious power: He crushed 44 homers for the Orioles during an All-Star 2024 campaign. But after signing a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays in January 2025, Santander was plagued by the shoulder injury throughout his first season in Toronto. He played just 54 regular-season games and batted just .175 with six home runs. Santander was a non-factor in the postseason, too, homering just once and posting a .564 OPS before being replaced on the roster midway through the ALCS.
After seeing no game action since mid-October, Santander might be a bit rusty in his initial appearances for the Bisons, but the Blue Jays won’t be pushing the panic button.
“He’s notoriously kind of a slow starter, too, so we want to make sure that he’s functioning at the normal level that he can,” Schneider said. “If he can help us, it’d be great.”
While Santander’s career platoon splits are practically even -- he has a .767 career OPS against left-handed pitchers, compared to a .761 mark against righties -- he struggled considerably against southpaws in limited action with the Blue Jays in 2025. Santander went 7-for-48 (.146) with no homers, 20 strikeouts and a .442 OPS against lefties in 2025.
Still, Schneider said, Toronto wants Santander to focus more on getting healthy than fine-tuning his approach against left-handers. The club’s message as Santander prepares to begin his rehab assignment? “Go be you.”
“I know last year was a little different based on the shoulder and how he was feeling,” Schneider said. “It’s kind of like, ‘Go get ’em.’”