Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander is nearing his return to the lineup following a lengthy IL stint. The 30 year old hasn\u2019t had the season that fans were yearning for from the power hitter who hit 44 home runs with the Baltimore Orioles last season. Santander has unfortunately missed significant time being on the IL.<\/p>\n
Santander hasn’t played since May 29 and has been recovering from a lingering shoulder issue. The formal diagnosis was \u201cleft shoulder inflammation,\u201d but later learned there had been a shoulder subluxation involved and Schneider recently said that some of Santander’s issues had been with the labrum.<\/p>\n
According to Arden Zwelling, Santander is nearing a rehab assignment that could commence on Tuesday with triple-A Buffalo. The plan is for him to travel with Blue Jays to Yankee Stadium this weekend to progress sith his build up and get more reps hitting right-handed.<\/p>\n
The switch-hitter will get at least five games on rehab. He feels that when he played through the pain for 2-3 weeks following the injury in early May, it made his recovery more complex.<\/p>\n
“The shoulder was really, really bad. I had a lot of inflammation. … It’s tough to start to swing when there’s so much inflammation.”<\/p>\n
The power hitter had the chance to talk to Zwelling and Ben Nicholson and told them that his injury turned out to be much worse than he anticipated it to be when he was placed on the on IL.<\/p>\n
It was thought that he would only be on the shelf for three to four weeks. Santander has missed over three months of the season. Similar situation for reliever Yimi Garcia<\/a>. He wasn\u2019t expected to miss significant time and now his season has ended as he\u2019s required to have elbow surgery.<\/p>\n The Blue Jays are in a good position to clinch the AL East and are currently 3.5 games ahead of the division rival New York Yankees. Having Santander in the lineup and return to the roster will provide another power bat. While Santanders season hasn\u2019t been what we expected, we did however see glimpses of how he can be a threat at the plate.<\/p>\n Santander this season showcased his ability to produce by hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox with guys on the base. It helped the Blue Jays come back from a 6-0 deficit on April 30th and the end result was a 7-6 victory. According to MLBs Keegan Matheson<\/a> \u201cIt was Anthony Santanders game-tying three-run shot that brought the biggest roar of the season from the Rogers Centre crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blue Jays have several players who are threats at the plate. This was seen in the Blue Jays 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\nWhat Santander’s Return Will Provide For Blue Jays in the Postseason<\/h3>\n
Blue Jays Boosted Power This Season<\/h3>\n