The slugger, who was been working back from a shoulder issue, is now battling a back problem.
With nine games left in the regular season, time is running out for the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays, off on Thursday, are 76-77 and 1.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot in the American League entering play. That could change by the end of the day depending on what happens in games featuring the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox.
The Blue Jays are trying to get to the playoffs for the second consecutive year, following up last season's run to the World Series.
And while time is running out on them, there is still time. However, there is very little time for slugger Anthony Santander to get back in order to make an impact in this race.
Santander has missed the entire season while recovering from a torn right labrum. He returned back to the lineup on Sept. 9 at Triple-A Buffalo and played again on Sept. 11, but we haven't seen him in the lineup since.
He was scratched on Tuesday and Wednesday with a back issue and did not play on Thursday either. As noted by Mitch Bannon of 'The Athletic,' there are only three games left in Buffalo's season. Santander has taken seven rehab plate appearances. While he could get back to the big leagues for the final week of the season, that's hardly enough reps for a player who has barely played in the last calendar year.
Since signing a five-year, $92 million deal before the 2025 season, it's been basically two lost seasons for Santander.
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander (25) waits his turn at batting practice during workouts at Rogers Centre. Dan Hamilton-Imagn ImagesSantander played only 54 games in 2025 because of these same shoulder issues, then was removed from the American League Championship Series roster because of back issues. It's unclear if the back issue he's experiencing now is related to the back issues he had last October.
Lifetime, Santander is a nine-year veteran of the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto. He's a .241 career hitter with 161 homers and 160 doubles. A one-time All-Star, he has three seasons of 28 home runs or more, including 44 back in 2024. He hit just .175 with six home runs in his injury-plagued 2025 season.
Up next
The Blue Jays are back in action on Friday night for the start of a weekend series with the Rangers. The Jays have amended their pitching rotation in order to get their best possible arms at the front of that series.
The Rangers will play the Red Sox on Thursday first.
