Anthony Santander continues to inch closer to a return this season.
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Santander is making progress and will hit off live pitching down in Florida over the weekend.
Schneider then said that if all goes well, he's optimistic Santander could play in triple-A rehab games next week.
Santander, 31, has not played in 2026 after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder in February. He also missed most of the 2025 season with an injury to the same shoulder, meaning he has appeared in just 54 games since signing a five-year, $92.5-million contract with the Blue Jays nearly two years ago.
Before joining the Blue Jays, Santander developed into a feared slugger for the Orioles over eight seasons. In 2024, he hit a career-high 44 home runs and won a Silver Slugger award.
Santander has yet to bring that same level of production to the Blue Jays, but he remains a tantalizing potential addition to a team starved for offence.
As for another ailing Blue Jay, Schneider remains confident that Trey Yesavage has a chance to return this season.
Yesavage will throw a bullpen on Friday before the team determines next steps.
"If it goes good, we’ll see if he can help us out in some capacity,” Schneider said Thursday.
However, if he does return this season, it will most likely be in a bulk role instead of going back to being a traditional starter.
“That would make it interesting for a bullpen-y bulk day, with him being part of it,” Schneider said. “That would be nice. It just depends on how much time he’s missed, how much he can build up. Is it an inning or two? Is it three or four? We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
The 23-year-old Yesavage left Toronto's 7-2 road loss to the Houston Astros on Aug. 4 after throwing 16 strikes over two innings. His left knee appeared to buckle as he warmed up for the third inning, and he was checked by a trainer before exiting the game.
Yesavage (5-5) has a 3.65 earned-run average over 18 starts this season with 91 strikeouts over 93.2 innings pitched.
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