Veteran Blue Jays' Slugger Opens Up About Recent Struggles at the Plate
For big league hitters, any slight discomfort in their swing can lead to their confidence at the plate being thrown off entirely. Veteran Toronto Blue Jays' slugger Anthony Santander is experiencing this firsthand as he continues to work through several nagging injuries.
Santander, who signed a lucrative five-year, $95 million free agent deal with the Blue Jays this past offseason, has missed multiple games over the past two weeks as he recovers from several minor injuries.
Already off to a slow start at the plate, these setbacks have made it nearly impossible for Santader to find any sort of consistency. According to MLB.com's Julia Kreuz, the former All-Star opened up on these struggles before the Blue Jays' game on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers.
"I'm battling, really I am," Santander said. “Mentally, I feel really good, thank God. The team gave me a really warm welcome, they welcomed me with open arms. My teammates have been with me from the start, the staff too. That makes me feel good. It gives me the will to keep working hard, not throw in the towel, so that eventually we can get the results we’re looking for to help the team win.”
Anthony Santander's woes at the plate continued Sunday following a few days off and moving to 5th in the Jays lineup.
— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) May 19, 2025
After going 0-for-4 with 3 Ks in the series finale vs DET, Santander is now hitting .182/.264/.308 with a career-worst 24.7% K rate through 41 games this season. pic.twitter.com/fgIwzV54O3
Santander also has the full support of his manager, John Schneider, who also touched on the sluggers' early struggles on Sunday.
“He’s going to turn it around,” said Schneider. “Tony is an open book, and he has been since Day One. So [we’re] just kind of touching base with him and making sure he's good. He's working through some things mechanically, and he’s a big-time feel hitter, too. So just trying to get that feel right, but just really letting them know that we’ve got confidence in him. He's going to be a big part of what we're doing this year and going forward."
It's evident that Santander has the support of his new team and the right mindset to get out of his early slump. That said, Toronto will be banking on him turning things around soon, as the lineup desperately needs some reinforcements.
It will be interesting to see how Santander progresses as the season rolls on and whether it will be enough to help the Blue Jays get their season back on track.
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