Charting a pathway for Anthony Santander’s potential late-season return

We’re still a long way off from that scenario, though. Having said that, we’ve gone from “who knows if Santander will return in 2025” to “there’s now a pretty decent chance he rejoins the big-league club before the playoffs begin.”

That’s quite the promising development, however marginal.

When asked a few weeks ago about a potential timeline for Santander’s return, manager John Schneider loosely threw out the second week of September as an initial target for the switch-hitting outfielder, adding that it’ll all depend on how his body responds while ramping up. He also said that it’ll likely require a lengthy rehab stint, considering his last game came on May 29 — almost three months ago.

For argument’s sake, let’s envision a scenario for Santander — who’s hitting from both sides of the plate, but feels a bit more comfortable swinging left-handed, per Schneider — using that rough timetable. So, if all remains well regarding his hitting progression moving forward, let’s say he begins a rehab assignment next week at the earliest, which brings us to September.

Depending on the starting point, the Blue Jays would likely have the option of sending him to single-A Dunedin, whose regular-season schedule runs through Sep. 7. In any scenario, however, most of his reps will come at triple-A Buffalo, given the Bisons’ campaign ends on Sep. 21 — one week before Toronto’s final regular-season game against Tampa Bay.

In the best-case scenario, Santander spends a week or two rehabbing in the minors, looks fully healthy, and ultimately plays a handful of games with the Blue Jays to prepare himself for October, where he serves as the impact hitter this franchise signed last off-season.

Fairly reasonable, right?

If everything plays out perfectly, Toronto will have the luxury of reinserting Santander into the middle of this lineup, further lengthening an already well-balanced offence. With how much time he’s missed, though, that may be wishful thinking — or at least hopeful optimism.

Multiple variables could throw a wrench into the Blue Jays’ plans. Like, an injury setback that delays the 2024 All-Star’s rehab assignment until Buffalo’s season is finished, though the team could justify having him build up against major league pitchers if they continue to pile up wins, reducing the significance of that final week of the ’25 campaign.

The other crucial element of Santander’s return is how he performs at the plate. If he’s to rejoin this lineup in a major way, they need him back at 100 per cent. Not the guy who struggled pre-injury, enduring another one of his slow starts before his shoulder ailment made him a shell of himself in the batter’s box, leading to his .179/.273/.304 slash line and 63 wRC+ (100 league average) over a 50-game span.

Santander needs to look more like the unstoppable force from his final season with the Baltimore Orioles, setting career-highs in home runs (44) and RBIs (102) to go along with his .506 slugging percentage and 127 wRC+, making him a three-win player per fWAR for the first time in his career.

That also plays into the next part of this equation. For Santander to return, the Blue Jays will have to subtract someone from their active roster, possibly ending that player’s regular season — a move more easily justifiable if the Silver Slugger is tearing the cover off the ball. They’d also have to create space on the 40-man roster, which likely presents a much easier pathway, with Yimi García — a 60-day IL candidate — unlikely to return in ’25.

As for how Toronto would fit Santander onto the eventual 28-man roster, they’ll have a few options to consider. The easiest one would be if another player requires an IL stint — or perhaps even a phantom stint — around the same time. If that doesn’t occur, though, they could opt to settle on someone with minor-league options like Davis Schneider or Joey Loperfido, who’s expected to rejoin the fold on Sep. 1.

Alternatively, perhaps Schneider and Loperfido perform so well that it forces management to look elsewhere, potentially putting veterans such as Myles Straw or Ty France (if his playing time declines as healthy bodies return) on the chopping block.

The one thing all these scenarios have in common is that the Blue Jays’ brass may have to decide between someone who’s helped them climb to the top of the AL East and what they think Santander can offer. In a season full of tough decisions, this could present the toughest one yet, especially given the ramifications it might have on the club’s playoff roster.

Of course, nothing can be decided until Santander proves he’s healthy. That’s item No. 1 on the checklist. After that, everything else will fall into place. The biggest challenge for Toronto’s coaching staff may ultimately become navigating a crowded outfield, although they’ve yet to shy away from that delicate situation this season.