Blue Jays Star Anthony Santander Takes Slowest Home Run Trot Ever in Rehab Game
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The Toronto Blue Jays are battling their way to what they hope is their first American League East title in over a decade, and after that, potentially a deep playoff run in what is a wide-open pennant race.
Things have taken a little bit of a downturn as of late as the lead starts to slip, however reinforcements could soon be on the way. Toronto's major offseason acquisition -- slugging outfielder Anthony Santander -- has been out since late May after suffering a serious shoulder injury crashing into an outfield wall.
Santander was not playing well at the time he got hurt, but he never got the chance to pull out of his slump as his season was derailed by a long stint on the 60-day injured list. Now, though, he has begun his rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo and could soon return to the team.
On Thursday, the 30-year-old blasted his second home run in seven games there. What was unique about this one was the 41-second home run trot Santander enjoyed around the bases, one of the longest you'll ever see.
Down in Triple-A, Anthony Santander just homered (batting right-handed).
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 18, 2025
111.5-mph exit velocity.
He also treated himself to a 41-second home run trot. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/5rced2JnPZ
By all accounts, Santander has not suffered a further injury to explain him taking his sweet time around the base paths, it looks like he simply wanted to soak in the moment during what has been obviously a very tough year for him.
Santander Was Struggling Badly For Blue Jays Before Injury
In 50 games this year, Santander had slashed a putrid .179/.273/.304 with just six home runs and 18 RBI. His struggles led to a bWAR of -1.0 thus far in 2025, but him coming back and contributing in the playoffs would make up for all of that and make fans glad the team signed him to a five-year, $92.5 million contract this past winter.
Santander may still have some work left to do though, collecting just five total hits in his seven games with Buffalo despite the two long balls.
In the meantime, he can enjoy the lengthiest home run trot that's been seen in some time, but Toronto fans will hope it's not an indicator of how slow he is working his way back to the Major Leagues.
Dealing with several injuries and trying to hang onto the lead, this team could desperately use an injection of offense, and if it came from someone they gave a near nine-figure contract to and have yet to receive any value from, that would be a tremendous bonus.
Keep an eye on how Santander performs over the course of the coming week to see if he has a real chance to be called back up in the near future.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.