TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays are losing certainly one of their most reliable relievers but are inching toward the return of certainly one of their biggest off-season acquisitions.
Reliever Yimi Garcia will miss the remaining of the Blue Jays’ season to wash up the scar tissue around his elbow on his right arm but veteran slugger Anthony Santander began taking batting practice with the team on Friday for the primary time in months.
“It sucks. Sucks for him, sucks for us, however it just type of got to that time,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider of Garcia’s season-ending surgery. “He’ll be ready for spring training, which is nice.
“So we’ll see how the recovery goes, but hopefully it’s as normal as an off-season as he can have. However the plan is to be ready for spring.”
Garcia (1-2) has a 3.86 earned-run average with 25 strikeouts and 1.19 walks/hits per inning pitched over 21 innings this season, earning three saves.
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Santander hasn’t played since May 29, as an alternative spending most of his time at Toronto’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., recovering from a shoulder injury. He did the total range of pre-game activities along with his teammates on Friday, including hitting, running, and fielding.
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Schneider said that Santander would follow that routine all weekend because the Blue Jays hosted the Milwaukee Brewers in a showdown between the very best teams in Major League Baseball. Santander will then travel with the team for his or her series in Cincinnati against the Reds.
He can have a conditioning stint within the minor leagues before returning to the bigs.
“Did stuff within the cage already, outfield work, he’s running the bases too, and type of increasing his volume, in order that’s good,” said Schneider.
Santander’s potential return in September creates a log-jam for Toronto at designated hitter.
The 30-year-old Santander signed a five-year, US$92.5 million take care of the Blue Jays within the off-season. He got off to a disappointing start, nevertheless, hitting .179 with six home runs and 18 runs batted in with only a .273 on-base percentage and .304 slugging percentage.
In his absence, George Springer has been Toronto’s go-to DH. The 35-year-old right-fielder has had a superb season with a .303 batting average, 24 home runs, 67 RBIs, a .391 OBP and .541 slugging percentage. Springer’s resurgence has been partly attributed to him getting more rest by not playing within the outfield.
“I believe they type of split it, I assume,” said Schneider on balancing Santander’s return with Springer’s production. “I believe George is nice playing the outfield. I believe that at any time when Tony does get playing in triple-A, he’ll play within the outfield too, in order that’s an option.
“I believe just the undeniable fact that he’s feeling higher is nice, after which I need him — when he does come back — to be clicking and never tentative or anything, and give you the option to supply.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press