Veteran slugger Anthony Santander returns to starting lineup for Blue Jays

TORONTO — After an absence of nearly four months, Blue Jays slugger Anthony Santander returned to Toronto’s starting lineup on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox.

Santander, who was activated from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, was out with a left shoulder injury. He was slotted into the fifth spot as the designated hitter.

“I’m just looking for good at-bats and putting the barrel to (the ball),” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before the game.

In 50 games this season, Santander has a .179 batting average with six homers and 18 RBIs.

The 30-year-old Venezuelan hit 44 homers and drove in 102 runs last year for Baltimore. He spent parts of eight seasons with the Orioles before signing a five-year, US$92.5-million contract with the Blue Jays last winter.

Toronto entered play with a one-game lead on the New York Yankees in the race for top spot in the American League East Division standings.

The Blue Jays have already clinched a playoff spot and are aiming to hold on to the first seed in the AL and secure home-field advantage for the division series.

With a magic number of four entering the second game of the three-game set with Boston, Schneider also tinkered with his starting rotation plans for the week.

Shane Bieber’s scheduled start has been pushed back a day to Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays and rookie Trey Yesavage will get the nod on Saturday, he said.

The Blue Jays will wait until Wednesday’s game plays out before deciding on a starter for Thursday’s series finale. The regular-season finale on Sunday is also still to be determined.

Also Wednesday, the Blue Jays signed international free agent Seojun Moon. The 18-year-old right-hander is the first South Korean-born international signing by the organization.

The six-foot-four 214-pound pitcher had a 2.18 earned-run average over 24 games with Jangchung High School in Seoul. He had 93 strikeouts over his high school career and did not allow a home run.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2025.