Blue Jays' Anthony Santander discusses swing progress and shoulder recovery
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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander discusses how far he's come with his shoulder rehab and the progress of his swing.
Santander is set to begin a five-game rehab assignment with the Buffalo Bisons shortly to get ready for his eventual return to the Blue Jays.
Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith caught up with Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, and Santander shared some insight into his progress so far.
Anthony Santander caught up with me and @bnicholsonsmith pre-game, he says his shoulder injury turned out to be much worse than he expected it to be when he initially went on IL. He thought he'd be out for only 3-4 weeks. He's now missed over three months.
Blue Jays' Anthony Santander discusses progress of his swing from both sides of the plate
On the brink of his assignment, Santander says his left-handed swing feels «really good,» though his right-handed swing isn't quite at 100 per cent yet.
He has also been running the bases on the field and throwing regularly in preparation for a triple-A stint that could begin as soon as Tuesday and would last at least five games.
«I'm happy to get back on the field after (three-plus) months,» Santander told Nicholson-Smith, addressing the injury publicly for the first time. «Coming back from the injury was a little tough (since) I had a lot of inflammation in the shoulder, but I'm really excited about coming back.»
While Santander's right-handed swing is still lagging behind, the Blue Jays expect further progress in the week ahead.
Manager John Schneider said there's every intention of making sure Santander's ready from both sides before he returns.
«It's so tough with a switch-hitter,» Schneider said. «You've got to maintain two swings, so it's a different range of motion (and) different stresses are put on the injury. So that (right-handed swing) has been a little bit behind the left-handed swing just from a comfort standpoint. And we really don't want to have him as a one-dimensional option."
If Santander's progress continues, he and George Springer would share DH duties while also playing some outfield.
While the rehab process has been slower than Santander initially hoped, he's been encouraged by how well his teammates are playing without him.
«We're winning, and I'm happy for the work they've been doing,» he said. «That's making me keep working hard through this process so when the time comes to join the team, I can try to do my job to help the team. They've been doing a great job the whole year.»
Asked whether the shoulder will require any more treatment during the off-season, Santander acknowledged there's still some uncertainty about how the next couple months will unfold, he just hopes he's making those plans after a deep playoff run.
"We'll see after the season," Santander said. "Hopefully after the World Series we'll see what's the next step in the off-season. The main thing was to try to avoid surgery, which is not good."
Source: Sportsnet
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