Tremendous update on Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander
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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander is back batting from both sides of the plate.
The 30-year-old slugger is in the early stages of a hitting progression, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said ahead of Friday's series opener against the Texas Rangers.
Anthony Santander has started a hitting progression. Will build up over the next couple weeks
Blue Jays Santander looking to be back by Late September
It's mostly been hitting off a batting tee thus far. But the plan is for him to eventually progress to taking batting practice and hitting against high velocity.
Santander hasn't played since May 29, dealing with a lingering shoulder issue.
The formal diagnosis is «left shoulder inflammation,» but we later learned there had been a shoulder subluxation involved and Schneider recently said that some of Santander's issues had been with the labrum.
Regardless of the fine details, though, Santander seems to have a shot even if it's still a very small one to return this season.
In a perfect world, the Blue Jays are eyeing the second week of September as a potential return to big-league action for Santander.
How he responds from here, however, will be the true indicator of whether or not he'll be ready by then.
«Probably a few weeks of ramping up, then he'll have to play in a good amount of games, I would think, to get some timing,» Schneider said. «You're looking at the second week of September, maybe, something like that. It depends on how he builds up, really, and then how the games go.»
Santander is swinging from both sides of the plate as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
That being said, he does feel a bit more comfortable from the left side rather than batting from the right, per Schneider.
Time certainly isn't on Toronto's side here, especially since the minor-league season will start to wind down shortly, though they aren't closing the door on potentially having him return for the stretch run.
If those plans come to fruition and, more importantly, he's 100 per cent healthy, it could have a major payoff for the club's offence.
But only if he resembles the hitter who blasted a career-high 44 home runs and drove in 102 with the Baltimore Orioles last season.
The Blue Jays didn't witness much of that power from Santander, who signed a five-year, $92.5-million contract in free agency last winter, before he landed on the shelf, only mustering 11 extra-base hits across 50 games, including six home runs.
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