Blue Jays Hope for Lineup Boost With Surprise Activation of Anthony Santander
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The Toronto Blue Jays had a bit of a roller coaster of a day on Tuesday and it ended with the surprise activation of slugger Anthony Santander.
Before the game, MLB.com's Keegan Matheson reported that the Blue Jays hadn't made a decision about Santander, who is no longer able to play in rehab games with the conclusion of Triple-A Buffalo's season. It appeared Toronto would wait a day. A couple of hours later, though, the Blue Jays announced they had changed their minds and activated him off the injured list.
To make room, the Blue Jays moved Ty France to the 10-day IL with left oblique inflammation and designated pitcher and former AL Cy Young finalist Alex Mahoah for assignment. Now, Santander's return comes at a crucial point in the Blue Jays season.
How Santander’s Return Will Change Blue Jays Lineup
The slugger's return should signal good things for the Blue Jays. They've been without arguably their best hitter, Bo Bichette, since Sept. 9.
Santander has been on the 60-day injured list since July 4 with a shoulder injury. Prior to the announcement of his activation, manager John Schneider said that the team was "trying to make the decision that's best for everyone," according to Matheson.
Since Santander said he feels good, it appears that the Blue Jays decided they were ready for him after all, though France's injury likely helped the decision along.
It has been an ugly start to his tenure for the 30-year-old. In his first 50 games with the club, Santander was having the worst year of his career. He was slashing .173/.273/.304 with a .577 OPS. He had hit just six homers and five doubles and had an overall 59 OPS+.
There was a reason that he was given a five year, $92 million contract. He had been one of the premier power hitters in baseball and he was coming off of a career season in which he hit 44 home runs and had 102 RBIs. That's the player the Blue Jays are hoping they get for the postseason.
They have already clinched a playoff spot, but they want to win the division. And the bats have not been up to par lately. Their $500 million man, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is in a rut. Since Sept. 10, after Bichette went on the IL, he's been slashing just .239/.300/.261. He hasn't hit a home run since Sept. 5.
That's where they'll need Santander to get back to his power-hitting self. In the middle of an order that's missing Bichette, the switch-hitter needs to provide a spark. His presence in the lineup will likely allow Guerrero and George Springer to see more pitches now that there's another power hitting threat.
Outside of Springer, who's been red-hot, they have been lacking power in the past few weeks, as evidenced by Guerrero's slump. That's what they paid Santander to do, and he could provide important and necessary pop to make the lineup that much scarier in the postseason.
The lineup configuration will need to be solved when Bichette returns, depending on the health of his knee, but for now, they get back an elite slugger. Santander will need to forget about the first part of his season and shake off the rust if the Blue Jays want to make a World Series run.
