Anthony Santander has, at long last, finally swung a bat.

The 30-year-old slugger is in the early stages of a hitting progression, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers. It’s mostly been hitting off a batting tee thus far. But the plan is for him to eventually progress to taking batting practice and hitting against high velocity.

These next few weeks will provide plenty of clarity regarding Santander’s availability to return later this season. He’ll require a long runway to build himself up again, considering he last played in the majors on May 29.

In a perfect world, the Blue Jays are eyeing the second week of September as a potential return to big-league action for Santander. How he responds from here, however, will be the true indicator of whether or not he’ll be ready by then.

Santander is swinging from both sides of the plate as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury. That being said, he does feel a bit more comfortable from the left side rather than batting from the right, per Schneider.

Time certainly isn’t on Toronto’s side here, especially since the minor-league season will start to wind down shortly, though they aren’t closing the door on potentially having him return for the stretch run. If those plans come to fruition and, more importantly, he’s 100 per cent healthy, it could have a major payoff for the club’s offence.

But only if he resembles the hitter who blasted a career-high 44 home runs and drove in 102 with the Baltimore Orioles last season.

The Blue Jays didn’t witness much of that power from Santander — who signed a five-year, $92.5-million contract in free agency last winter — before he landed on the shelf, only mustering 11 extra-base hits across 50 games, including six home runs.