Anthony Santander will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

The plan has him serving as DH for his first game, easing back into competitive at-bats before adding defensive reps.

From there, he'll transition into playing the outfield as the assignment progresses.

Santander has been out since undergoing surgery to repair his left shoulder labrum back in February, a recovery that was initially expected to take five to six months.

For most of the season, an actual return looked unlikely given that original timeline.

He'll need several games in Buffalo to regain his timing before the Blue Jays consider activating him.

That's a normal part of any lengthy rehab process, letting a hitter see live pitching repeatedly rather than rushing straight back into a big-league lineup.

Why the timing lines up well for Toronto's stretch run

Toronto is deep in a wild-card push right now, sitting close to the final spot with limited games remaining.

Adding an experienced power bat back into the lineup, even for the season's final stretch, would give this offense real thump it's largely lacked all year.

Santander played just 54 games in his first Blue Jays season back in 2025, meaning this entire tenure has been defined by injury more than production so far.

He originally signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal before the 2025 season, coming off a 44-homer, 102-RBI year with Baltimore in 2024.

None of that production has translated to a Blue Jays uniform yet, which makes this rehab assignment carry extra weight.

There's still no guaranteed activation date, and rehab assignments can hit unexpected snags even after a positive start.

But actually beginning games in Buffalo is real, tangible progress toward getting him back before the regular season ends.