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Anthony Santander has been preparing for a return to action for some time now. The Blue Jays' big catch last winter, who barely played all year due to a shoulder injury, has been playing rehab games in the minors for a while.
And increasingly, the window for activating him was coming to an end. The season of the Buffalo Bisons, with whom he was playing his rehab games, is over, and we knew the hitter would be in Toronto today.
The opportunity to activate him today was therefore great… and we thought it wouldn't happen.
In fact, Santander was not expected to be part of the Jays' active lineup today, according to what the club announced in the last few hours.
The #BlueJays still haven't made a decision on Anthony Santander..
He's told the team he feels ready to compete. Schneider says they're trying to make the decision that's best for everyone.
We should know the next steps by tomorrow, but there aren't many tomorrows left.
– Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 23, 2025
John Schneider claimed that the club wanted to make a decision by tomorrow in the case of Santander. But surprise: Santander was finally activated today by the club.
He takes Ty France's place in the active line-up. And to make room on the 40-man roster, Alek Manoah has been designated for assignment.
https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1970614188499218832
It's a surprise in Toronto.
Is the club hoping that other teams won't have room for him at the end of the season and that the club will manage to keep him in the Blue Jays organization? It's possible. But it's a risk, given the talent of the player in question.
The Alek Manoah DFA comes after seven starts at AAA with a 2.97 ERA. He has two years of arb eligibility after this year, too.
It's been a couple years since he was a Cy Young finalist, but certainly a surprising #BlueJays move
– Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) September 23, 2025
So you have to wonder why Santander's case was so complicated. And the fact is, it's safe to assume that the club didn't want to cut an active player… and that Bo Bichette may be a piece of the answer that shouldn't be underestimated.
Because, as Keegan Matheson notes, if Bichette can't play in the infield when he returns to the playoffs and is limited to the designated hitter position, it would be hard to find playing time in Santander. Especially since George Springer already occupies that position.
Part of me is curious how closely the Santander decision is tied to Bichette's developing status.
If Bichette needs the DH spot in the ALDS, the path to at-bats gets even narrower for Santander. There's not much time to feel that out, though.
Strange day. We'll see. #BlueJays
– Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 23, 2025
Santander's best chance of securing a job, in that eventuality, would be to use him as a pinch-hitter. And having such a threat on the bench is a nice luxury the Jays could afford.
Because Santander, after all, is more than capable of hitting the long ball. Bringing him in at an important time to give him a chance to hit a big home run is interesting… and would allow him to find a role even with a designated hitter position already occupied.
We'll be keeping a close eye on all of this, but Santander is the talk of Toronto right now.
- 23 teams were in favor of the ABS system.
https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1970606957443891344
- Bryan Woo can't make his next start.
https://twitter.com/DKramer_/status/1970606131686068511
- Roman Anthony is not close to a return.
https://twitter.com/IanMBrowne/status/1970604993188135206
- Corey Seager and Marcus Semien: season over.
https://twitter.com/JeffWilsonTXR/status/1970602288634044646
- Zack Wheeler underwent surgery.
https://twitter.com/lochlahn/status/1970578819976495400
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