It was the first game action of the season for Santander, who got the start at DH and hit third for the Bisons. The 31-year-old still has a chance to contribute for the Blue Jays before the end of the regular season if he can shake off enough rust, and Santander's timeline could be accelerated if the shoulder issue George Springer is playing through proves to be more serious than the team anticipates. Santander's brief Toronto tenure has been marred by shoulder trouble that led to surgery in February, but he's still just two years removed from a 44-homer campaign with Baltimore.

Santander will serve as the designated hitter initially before playing defense, as the Blue Jays plan to have the veteran mainly be an outfielder with the big-league club. In two seasons with Toronto, Santander has appeared in just 54 games, including zero this season. He slashed a miserable .175/.271/.294 in 2025 with six home runs, 18 RBI, 16 runs scored and a 25:61 BB:K across 221 trips to the plate. Any production the team gets from the soon-to-be 32-year-old should be viewed as a bonus.