Anthony Santander's path back to the Toronto Blue Jays this season keeps getting narrower.
Santander felt something in his surgically repaired shoulder again recently and needed another cortisone shot to manage it.
That's not the update anyone in Toronto wanted to hear, especially given where his recovery timeline already stood before this latest setback.
He hasn't even started hitting yet, a basic step in any rehab process that usually comes well before a player is anywhere close to game action.
Recurring pain in a surgically repaired shoulder, especially serious enough to require another cortisone shot, tends to signal something more complicated than a normal recovery bump.
At this point, it's becoming less and less likely Toronto sees him back on the field at all this season.
That's a tough outcome for a player the Blue Jays hoped could provide real thump in a lineup that's badly needed more offense all year.
Why this news lands especially hard right now
Toronto's offense has already struggled through a season where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer have been well below their usual production.
Losing any real chance at Santander's bat for the rest of the year removes one more potential answer for a lineup that manager John Schneider has openly said needs more slug from its core pieces.
Shoulder injuries requiring repeated cortisone shots often carry real questions well beyond just this season too, something that matters for how the organization plans around him going forward.
It's a bit like watching a home renovation get delayed again and again, each update pushing the finish line further out of sight.
Does this mean the Blue Jays quietly shift their outfield planning away from expecting anything from him in 2026, or is there still a sliver of hope this settles down before September?
For now, Santander's season looks like it's slipping away in small, frustrating updates rather than one final announcement, and Toronto will have to plan accordingly either way.
Do you think Anthony Santander plays another game for the Blue Jays this season?
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