Anthony Santander was supposed to fill a big void in the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup.
They needed some more thump in the middle of the order, and the former Orioles star switch-hitter was signed this offseason to provide it.
But the Blue Jays haven’t had Santander since the end of May due to injury. Ironically, Toronto has gone on its magical run to the top of the AL East since then.
Santander struggled before he got hurt, too. He was batting just .179 with six homers in 184 at bats.
Despite that, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle writes that Santander could be the key to the rest of the Blue Jays’ season.
“The other big (trade) need was a middle-of-the-order bat, a void Toronto thought it filled when it signed Santander,” Doolittle writes. “Santander has been out since the end of May and contributed little before that. The Blue Jays need Santander’s recovery to pick up and for him to be a thumper.”
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Santander put up a career year in 2024 for Baltimore. He made his first All-Star Team.
His final stats last season ended at 44 homers and 102 RBI with an .814 OPS.
Santander had hit 28 and 33 home runs in the two seasons prior to that, too. He’s an impact bat.
Now 30 years old, Santander is a question mark the rest of the way for Toronto. Can he get back on the field? And can he be effective once he returns?
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The Blue Jays have won a lot of baseball games without him. Unsung outfielders have stepped up.
But they didn’t sign Santander to have him sit on the bench in October. If he gets back, he’ll get his chances. And for Toronto to reach the mountaintop, it’ll probably need a few big hits from its pricy free agent signing.
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