Anthony Santander won't return to the Blue Jays this season.

He's currently in Florida, already beginning his offseason training rather than waiting for an activation that's no longer coming.

That closes out a genuinely lost year for the outfielder, who never appeared in a single big-league game for Toronto in 2026 while recovering from left shoulder surgery.

His rehab process did get him into real game action, though. He played five rehab games with Triple-A Buffalo, going 4-for-17 with four walks.

That's a modest but real sample, showing signs of life at the plate even if it never translated into an actual return to the majors.

After Buffalo's season concluded, he moved into the Blue Jays' stay-ready group, continuing to take at-bats and stay sharp in case an opportunity ever materialized.

Why the offseason becomes the real focus now

With Toronto already eliminated from playoff contention and the regular season winding down, there was never much practical reason to rush an activation for a handful of meaningless games.

Getting a full head start on offseason training instead makes far more sense for a player who's now missed the better part of two seasons to the same shoulder.

Santander is under contract for three more years on his five-year, $92.5 million deal, a commitment that Toronto still has to figure out how to get value from going forward.

His five rehab games this month represent the closest thing to positive momentum from an otherwise completely lost 2026 campaign.

Whether a full, healthy offseason finally allows him to return to the form that made him a Silver Slugger and 44-home-run hitter in 2024 is the real question hanging over his future in Toronto.

For now, the focus shifts entirely to getting his body right before spring training, with this season officially closed out without ever getting the chance to play a game that counted.