Anthony Santander will be out of the Blue Jays lineup: it will end his season

Anthony Santander has been struggling with back pain for the past few days. And today, he was not placed in his team's starting line-up.

Clearly, he's in more pain than we thought. The power hitter, according to information from Mitch Bannon and Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic), will be out of the lineup for the championship series.

NEWS: #BlueJays plan to remove Anthony Santander from postseason roster, pending MLB approval, sources tell The Athletic.

If approved, it would end Santander's playoffs: https://t.co/ViemDlKeTB

– Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) October 16, 2025

He didn't have a good first season in Toronto. #Injuries

Being removed from the 26-player roster for the championship series means he won't be able to play in the next series either. So by then, his series would be over.

It's going to take Major League Baseball's approval, and it could happen before tonight's game, which starts at 8:33pm. The clock is ticking on this, then.

Many people are wondering whether Bo Bichette could take his place in the 26-man roster. However, he's only just started running again and I don't see him being ready.

And now the answer has come, via Ben Nicholson-Smith.

The player expected to replace the power hitter on the 26-player roster will be Joey Loperfido. If the roster move is completed by 8:33pm, Loperfido will be eligible to play tonight.

Blue Jays would replace Anthony Santander with Joey Loperfido on ALCS roster if approved by MLB, sources tell @Sportsnet

Possible that happens before first pitch

– Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 16, 2025

If not, it'll probably be tomorrow.

Santander and Bichette aren't the only position players out injured right now. Ty France hasn't played in the playoffs, having suffered a season-ending injury.

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