Blue Jays Santander gets first hit of season in rehab game with Buffalo

Notorious slow starter Anthony Santander began to find some momentum on Friday.

The 31-year-old slugger notched his first hit of the season — a 106 m.p.h. line-drive single — in the Buffalo Bisons' 2-1 loss to the Charlotte Knights on Friday.

It was Santander's second rehab game with the herd after going 0-for-4 as the designated hitter on Wednesday. This time, Santander manned left field, his first defensive action during the rehab assignment.

Santander popped out in his other two plate appearances and saw a total of just three pitches. He made one play in left field, catching a soft liner on the run, and was replaced on defence by Rhylan Thomas in the bottom of the seventh.

The switch-hitting outfielder is set to continue rehabbing at triple-A through the middle of next week, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said on Friday.

Santander underwent left shoulder surgery in February and hasn't played a game for the Blue Jays in 2026. He also missed most of the 2025 season with an injury to the same shoulder.

Before becoming a Blue Jay, Santander developed into a dependable slugger over eight seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. He had his best season at the plate in 2024 when he won a Silver Slugger Award and hit a career-high 44 home runs.