Jesus Sanchez's rehab is trending in the right direction, and a return could be closer than expected.
Sanchez ran the bases again this week, and John Schneider said he could begin minor league rehab games as soon as Thursday.
Toronto listed him as day-to-day with an ankle injury, with an initial target of being out until at least July 20, a timeline that now lines up almost perfectly with this update.
Running the bases is a real checkpoint in any recovery, especially for an outfielder whose game depends on mobility as much as his bat.
Sanchez has actually been one of Toronto's more productive hitters when healthy, batting .274 with seven home runs across 73 games this season.
That kind of production matters for a lineup that's needed every available bat, especially with names like Addison Barger and Anthony Santander still sidelined for extended stretches.
His last stretch before the injury showed some cooling off, hitting just .100 over his final five games, so getting him back to full health matters as much as just getting him back on the field.
Why his return could reshape the outfield picture
A rehab assignment starting Thursday would give Toronto a real sense of how close Sanchez actually is to game readiness at the big league level.
Adding his bat back into a lineup that's dealt with plenty of inconsistency this season could offer a real boost, especially in the corner outfield spots that have leaned on names like Myles Straw in the meantime.
It's a bit like getting a key piece of equipment back from repair right as the workload starts piling up again.
Does Sanchez's return actually move the needle for an offense that's struggled all season, or does one healthy bat only patch part of a much bigger problem?
Toronto opens its series against Tampa Bay tonight, and Sanchez's timeline puts him on track to factor into the lineup picture again before the trade deadline arrives.
His health could end up mattering just as much for what Toronto decides to do at the deadline as for what happens on the field in the meantime.
Will Jesus Sanchez's return make a real difference for the Blue Jays' offense?
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