Anthony Santander is still trying to make it back onto the field this season.
Manager John Schneider said the outfielder has been hitting off a machine in Dunedin as part of his rehab work.
The hope is to progress to facing live pitchers sometime next week.
That's a real step forward on paper, moving beyond a machine and into timing against an actual arm.
Schneider's tone left plenty of room for caution, though. "We'll see," he said, not exactly a guarantee of anything firm.
There's no word yet on what specific injury has kept Santander out, or how long this absence has already stretched.
Every step in a rehab process like this one matters, but machine work is still a long way from game readiness.
Why this update carries real stakes for Toronto
The Blue Jays have dealt with a string of injuries and roster shuffles all season, and Santander's situation fits right into that pattern.
Toronto sits at 65-70, 3.5 games back of the final wild-card spot, with limited games left to make up ground.
Any bat that can add to a lineup that's struggled to score runs consistently would be a welcome boost right now.
Live pitching is the next real test. It'll tell Toronto and Santander himself whether his timing and health are actually where they need to be.
There's no firm return date attached to any of this yet, and Schneider's own hedge suggests the club isn't ready to promise one either.
For now, it's a step in the right direction, nothing more concrete than that. Whether it leads to an actual activation before the season ends is still very much unclear.
Do you think Anthony Santander makes it back to the Blue Jays before the season ends?
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