MLB Odds: Blue Jays’ Santander says shoulder injury worsened during off-season
It’s been a tough start to Anthony Santander’s time in Toronto as the outfielder is set to miss most, if not all, of the season for a second straight year.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Anthony Santander
Speaking via an interpreter, Santander told reporters on Wednesday that the pain in his left shoulder re-emerged when he resumed hitting in January.
The 31-year-old is scheduled to miss five to six months after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum.
Santander said an MRI in the middle of last year didn’t show a labral tear, but when he started hitting in the off-season he felt pain and had another MRI. The second MRI showed the damage had worsened and would require surgery to fix.
“Unfortunately, things happen that are not in your control,” Santander told reporters through an interpreter. “I know some people think differently, but I know who I am. I know I’m trying my best to be on the field with my teammates.”
Santander said he intends to join the team later in the season for what is hopefully another stretch run after Toronto went to Game 7 of the World Series last year.
“We’ll see where we’re at when we get there,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, obviously the other option is to wait until next year, but I hope it doesn’t go that way.”
Disappointing start
It’s clearly been a disappointing start to Santander’s tenure as a Blue Jay. He is entering the second year of a five-year, $92.5 million contract he signed with Toronto ahead of the 2025 season.
Santander was limited to just 54 games last season, missing the majority of the campaign because of a shoulder injury. In 194 at-bats, Santander had a .174 average with 34 hits, six home runs and 18 RBIs. He had three hits in five playoff games, but didn’t make an appearance in the World Series.
The switch-hitting Santander had the best season of his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, producing career-highs in both home runs (44) and RBIs (102). A native of Margarita, Venezuela, Santander has a career batting average of .241 over nine big league seasons.
Toronto Blue Jays
With the loss of Bo Bichette in free agency, the Blue Jays front office was likely counting on Santander’s bat to fill the void.
However, even without Santander for the majority of the season, there is a lot of optimism in Toronto with the additions of pitchers Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce as well as utility man Kazuma Okamoto.
The Blue Jays are tied with Seattle for the third-shortest odds to win the World Series at +1300, trailing only the Yankees (+1000) and Dodgers (+225). Toronto is +600 to win the American League and +275 to win the AL East.