Blue Jays’ Anthony Santander appears in first rehab game with Triple-A Buffalo
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Sep 10, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 10, 2026, 00:14 EDT
A September power boost could soon be joining the Toronto Blue Jays.
On Wednesday night, Anthony Santander appeared in his first game since Game 3 of the 2025 American League Championship Series.
The 31-year-old occupied the designated hitter spot with Triple-A Buffalo during their 5-4 loss against the Charlotte Knights. Santander went 0-for-4 in his first contest in almost a year as he attempts to make his way back from surgery due to a torn left labrum in his shoulder.
Facing former Chicago White Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon, who has made 47 career big-league outings, Santander stepped up in the top of the first inning and grounded out to shortstop after falling behind 0-2 in the count.
Coming up again in the top of the third, Cannon once again got the better of Santander, this time striking him out looking on 93.2 MPH sinker that caught the bottom of the strike zone.
In Santander’s third at-bat, he led off the top of the sixth inning against Cannon. In a 2-2 count, Santander drilled a changeup that came off his bat at 104.7 MPH but was unfortunately fielded by second baseman Rikuu Nishida for a 4-3 groundout.
In his final at-bat of the evening, Santander faced right-hander Nick Altermatt and engaged in a five-pitch battle before popping out to third baseman Mario Camilletti on a 94.5 MPH fastball.
Signed to a five-year, $92.5-million contract by the Blue Jays on January 21, 2025, Santander’s time with Toronto to this point has been underwhelming. Santander appeared in only 54 games last season as he dealt with shoulder inflammation and batted .175 with six home runs and 18 RBIs.
As per Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, the plan is for Santander to get into some games as an outfielder before assessing if he is ready to join the Blue Jays’ 28-man roster in some capacity down the stretch.
As the Blue Jays have struggled on the offensive side of the ball for much of the 2026 campaign, the return of Santander could bring a power boost to a club that has the third-fewest home runs in the majors and second-fewest runs.
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