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Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Anthony Santander’s injury opens up playing time for Joey Loperfido
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 12, 2026, 14:00 EST
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With the long-term injury to Anthony Santander, Joey Loperfido will get more of an opportunity in 2026.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Adam Macko. In this article, we’ll look at Joey Loperfido.
In the seventh round of the 2021 draft, the Houston Astros selected the left-handed batting outfielder out of Duke University. Loperfido had a strong 2022 and 2023, quickly becoming one of the Astros top prospects. After a good start to his 2024 season in Triple-A, Loperfido earned his first big league callup, where he slashed .236/.299/.358 with two home runs in 118 plate appearances for an 89 wRC+.
Before the 2024 trade deadline, the Astros sent him, Will Wagner, and Jake Bloss to the Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi. Wagner was eventually flipped to the San Diego Padres for Brandon Valenzuela, while Bloss missed most of the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery.
As for Loperfido, most of his 2025 season was spent with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons. Over 91 games, the 26-year-old slashed .264/.341/.401 with seven home runs in 373 plate appearances for a 103 wRC+. He found success in his tenure with the Blue Jays though, slashing .333/.379/.500 with four home runs in 104 plate appearances for a 148 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR.
When Santander was removed from the Blue Jays’ American League Championship roster, Loperfido replaced him. Pinch hitting for a departing George Springer in Game 5 of the ALCS, where he failed to get a hit in his only plate appearance of the postseason. The Jays eventually won Game 7 of the ALCS, earning a berth to the World Series, with Loperfido being replaced by Bo Bichette.
With Santander’s injury, there’ll be a ton of competition for an outfield spot. Nathan Lukes currently has the leg up, but Loperfido, RJ Schreck, Yohendrick Piñango, and a handful of others are vying for a long look at the position. Thanks to a strong 2025 season in a small sample size, one has to imagine Loperfido will at least get a look in the big leagues at some point this season, but at 26 years old, he’ll need to prove he’s a big leaguer sooner rather than later.
As it stands, Steamer projects that Loperfido will slashed .231/.300/.389 with three home runs over 111 plate appearances for an 85 wRC+. ZiPS has him slashing .245/.309/.408 with 15 home runs in 483 plate appearances for a 100 wRC+.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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