The Jays will need several other players to step up, notably since Bo Bichette departed in free agency


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The Toronto Blue Jays enter the 2026 season as the defending AL East and American League champions. The goal this time around would be to erase the sting of losing Games 6 and 7 of the World Series at home, especially after going to the ninth inning with a lead in Game 7. They lost Bo Bichette in free agency, but otherwise return a strong team for this season.

And then bad news struck right at the start of spring training. Oufielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander needs left labral (shoulder) surgery and will miss five to six months, Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced Tuesday.

Santander, 31, signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Jays last offseason and didn't provide much in his first year. He hit .175/.271/.294 (57 OPS+) with -1.0 WAR in 54 games. He missed significant time, requiring two different stints on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation.

Just because the Jays didn't get anything from Santander last season doesn't mean they weren't counting on him this time around, though. The offense lost one of its top contributors in Bichette to free agency. In looking to pick up that slack, Santander was one of the most obvious places. Now that is off the table until past the halfway point of the season.

Third baseman Kazuma Okamoto was signed out of Japan and that's one place where the Blue Jays will look to alleviate some of the Bichette loss. Nathan Lukas and Davis Schneider are also options to see increased playing time. Santander is a switch-hitting outfielder while Lukas (left) and Schneider (right) could platoon in that now-open lineup spot. Also remember that injuries held center fielder Daulton Varsho to just 71 regular-season games last year.

This is to say that while Santander was being counted on to beef up the offense, the Blue Jays have options to replace him and areas where they can still pick up the lost production from Bichette's signing with the Mets and Santander's surgery.

The Blue Jays won the AL East over the Yankees last season via tiebreaker, as both finished 94-68, tied for the best American League record. Baseball Prospectus released its PECOTA projections on Tuesday and essentially have the two teams in a dead heat atop the AL East again.

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