Disappointing Toronto Blue Jays Slugger Making Little Progress from Injury

Anthony Santander was supposed to be a major piece of the Toronto Blue Jays’ offensive firepower this season.

May 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) hits a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays have surged since they placed outfielder Anthony Santander on the 10-day injured list on May 30.

He’s eligible to come off the IL now, but it’s probably going to be a while longer as the 30-year-old has made little progress in his return from left shoulder inflammation.

According to MLB.com, Santander is doing some baseball activities now, including throwing, at the team’s complex in Florida. But he’s not set to start hitting yet. Worse, there doesn’t appear to be a timeline for him to pick up a bat and begin taking swings.

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MLB.com lists Santander’s timeline to return as potentially early to mid-July.

His value is wrapped up in his bat, not his glove. Santander has played more games at designated hitter (29) than in the outfield (19), with most of those games in the field coming in right field.

Toronto signed Santander to a five-year, $92 million deal in the offseason. The first three years of the deal are guaranteed with an average annual salary of $18.5 million per year. It comes with an opt-out for Santander before the 2028 season.

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The Blue Jays were hoping that Santander could at least approach some of the numbers he had in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, as he made the All-Star Game for the first time, won a Silver Slugger and finished 14th in American League MVP voting.

With the O’s he slashed .235/.308/.506 with an .814 OPS. He set career highs with 44 home runs and 102 RBI.

He hasn’t come close to duplicating those numbers with Toronto and ranks as one of the most disappointing free agent signings of 2025 so far.

In his first 50 games he slashed .179/.273/.304 with a .577 OPS. He had six home runs and 18 RBI. He also had 55 strikeouts against 24 walks. He’s on pace for the worst full season of his career.

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The last time Santander batted below .200 was in 2018, when he played in 33 games and batted .198.

He isn’t the only outfielder on the injured list, either.

Center fielder Daulton Varsho is working through a left hamstring strain that put him on the 10-day IL on June 1. Per MLB.com, there is no timeline for his return yet. But due to increased activity, he could have a timeline soon. He missed the start of the season with right shoulder surgery and needed a rehab stint in the minors before he was activated on April 29.

Nathan Lukes is on the 7-day concussion IL and the Blue Jays hopes that he’s ready when he’s eligible to be activated on Tuesday.

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