Two Toronto Blue Jays who had disappointing 2025 seasons are set to miss a good portion (or all) of 2026.

Outfielder/DH Anthony Santander is set to undergo left labral surgery and will be out for five to six months. Meanwhile, Bowden Francis requires UCL reconstruction surgery and will miss the entire 2026 season. The injuries were announced by Blue Jays manager John Schneider via a Zoom call with reporters on Tuesday.

Both players will have their procedures performed by Dr. Keith Meister on Wednesday.

Santander and Francis both had disappointing campaigns last year.

After signing a five-year, 92.5 million dollar contract, Santander played only 54 games and struggled to a .175/.271/.294 slash line with six home runs and 18 RBIs. The 31-year-old missed significant time with a left shoulder subluxation and a hip injury. It was a significant about-face from the 44-home run, .814-OPS season that Santander posted in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles.

Santander was on both the Blue Jays’ ALDS and ALCS rosters, but was eventually replaced in the latter series against the Seattle Mariners due to lumbar spine inflammation.

Schneider included that Santander had a setback when he began ramping up for the season in January.

Francis, 29, had a breakout in 2024, pitching to a 3.30 ERA with 92 strikeouts and only 22 walks over 103.2 innings, including two near no-hitters down the stretch. However, he also scuffled last season, recording a 6.05 ERA along with 54 strikeouts and 27 walks over 64 innings before missing the rest of the season with a right shoulder impingement.

Based on the timeline given, Santander could potentially return by mid-July at the earliest. On the pitching side, the loss of Francis is a hit to the Blue Jays’ starting pitching depth; however, they still have a bevy of options ahead of him on the depth chart, including Jose Berrios and Cody Ponce.

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.