Santander’s Return Delayed Again | Toronto Blue Jays News

0:00It's September 12th. Welcome in. This is Toronto Blue Jays News today, where your team meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. Yo, so we got some news on Anthony Santander. The Baltimore Orioles slugger, who hit 44 dingers back in 2024, isn't making his season debut just yet. Manager John Schneider dropped the word that Santander is rehabbing with AAA Buffalo and will stay there through the middle of next week. That means he's with the bison for the rest of the Blue Jays current homestand. This whole situation is a bit of a setback, especially since Santander inked a 5 year, 92.5 million dollar deal with Toronto back. In January of 2025, he's only played in 54 games for them because of injuries. He had surgery in February for a torn laborum in his left shoulder, which basically wiped out most of his 2026 season. And get this, it's the second year in a row, a shoulder issue has messed with his plane time.

1:00Last year, back stiffness kept him out during the ALCS. Now, Buffalo's minor league season wraps up on September 20th. That leads Toronto with a pretty small window to get Santander ready before they can even think about putting him back in the lineup. He played in his first rehab game on Wednesday, going 0-4 as the designated hitter. Schneider mentioned that he still needs to get some reps in the outfield before potential return to Toronto. The Blue Jays are in a tough spot, sitting at 73 wins and 74 losses, just one game back from the final wildcard spot. They're about to kick off a series against the Baltimore Orioles, his old team, which should be interesting. Santander has got a long road ahead to give back to his 2024 form. Since joining Toronto, he's only batting 175 with six home runs, and that shoulder injury is definitely a major hurdle he's got to overcome.