The Toronto Blue Jays are preparing to move forward without one of their biggest offseason additions. According to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon and Ken Rosenthal, the club intends to remove outfielder Anthony Santander from its American League Championship Series roster because of recurring back stiffness. The move still awaits Major League Baseball approval, but all indications point to it happening soon. Once approved, Santander’s 2025 season will officially end.
Manager John Schneider told reporters that Santander’s back issue worsened after Game 3 against the Seattle Mariners. The outfielder scored from second base on a single but came out defensively in the fifth inning and will not start Game 4. Schneider described the issue as “stiff” and “sore,” adding that the decision to sit out Santander was made to protect his health.
“Everyone’s grinding right now, and Tony’s grinding,” Schneider said. “With the way he’s been feeling, it made sense to make that change.”
Teams can only alter postseason rosters in the event of an injury, and MLB must sign off on those decisions to avoid potential manipulation. Once the league approves the move, Santander cannot return for the World Series, even if Toronto advances. That rule ensures integrity during October baseball but also leaves the Blue Jays shorthanded in the middle of their lineup.
A Rough Year That Never Turned Around
Santander’s 2025 campaign started with high expectations and ended in frustration. After signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract, he was supposed to deliver much-needed power for Toronto’s outfield. Instead, injuries and inconsistency turned him into a liability. Earlier this year, Bleacher Report named him one of baseball’s biggest contract busts of the season, and the numbers supported that claim.
By midseason, Santander hit just .188 with a .270 on-base percentage and a .327 slugging percentage. He produced only six home runs and carried a negative WAR, showing little impact at the plate. The Blue Jays expected a middle-of-the-order bat, but they got a hitter who struggled to make consistent contact and failed to adjust to AL East pitching.
Santander’s injury issues deepened his decline. He missed a large stretch of the regular season after suffering a shoulder injury in late May, returning only in late September. His comeback generated excitement but offered little in terms of production. In this ALCS, he has gone 2-for-13 with five strikeouts while showing visible discomfort running the bases and playing defense.
Blue Jays Turning to Role Players for Answers
With Santander sidelined, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Addison Barger have stepped into larger roles. Kiner-Falefa moved up in the lineup after showing success against Mariners starter Luis Castillo, going 5-for-13 in his career against the right-hander. Meanwhile, Alejandro Kirk shifted into the cleanup spot to add stability to the heart of Toronto’s order.
For a team that entered October with World Series aspirations, losing Santander underlines how fragile this season has become. The Blue Jays spent aggressively to win now, but injuries and underperformance from key stars like Santander and Max Scherzer have derailed that vision.
Santander’s removal, once approved, will mark a quiet end to his first year in Toronto—a season that began with hope and ended with regret. For the Blue Jays, it’s another reminder that big contracts don’t guarantee big moments when it matters most.
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