With one big swing, Anthony Santander sparks Blue Jays’ struggling bats

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TORONTO — Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stood patiently at home plate waiting for Anthony Santander. The Toronto Blue Jays’ big bopper took his time, admiring a monster homer to right field before skipping into the slowest of jogs around the bases.

The Blue Jays’ designated hitter soaked up every second of his seventh inning home run trot, finally meeting his teammates at the plate for choreographed handshakes that haven’t seen much use this year. Santander’s three-run homer evened the score in an eventual 7-6 extra innings win over the Red Sox. It was the Blue Jays’ third long ball of the contest, the first time they hit three or more in a game this season, capping an offensive explosion Santander and Toronto desperately needed.

“Hopefully that gets him going a little bit,” manager John Schneider said. “That’s exactly why we brought him in here.”

For five innings on Wednesday, it was the same script for Toronto’s offense. Five innings of shutout ball from Lucas Giolito, a guy making his first MLB start in 16 months.

Then, with one swing, a blip on the heart monitor — a sign of life from the Blue Jays’ offence. Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk blasted consecutive homers in the sixth to halve the Red Sox’s six-run lead. At the time, that pop of power seemed like a consolation prize in what looked to be Toronto’s ninth loss in the last 10 games. Then, connecting on a changeup hung at the top of the zone, Santander turned a silver lining into a statement comeback.

TONY. TATERS. TIES IT. pic.twitter.com/uXwJpAxxuG

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 1, 2025

After signing a five-year, $92.5 million deal this offseason, Santander needed that homer. He was the man tasked with injecting power to a Blue Jays offence that ranked 26th in dingers in 2024. Instead, the slow starter slumped to a .174 average with just three homers in his first 28 games. With little from Santander or anyone else, the Blue Jays entered Wednesday ranked 29th in homers.

While guys like Bichette and Guerrero have expected stats that suggest improved power will come, the metrics under the hood haven’t been pretty for Santander. His expected average (.201) and weighted on-base average (.253) entering play Wednesday were the slugger’s lowest since 2018. He has a habit of these slow starts, though, owning a career .204 average and .642 on-base plus slugging percentage in March and April. In May, those marks jump to .263 and .825. The Blue Jays hope their designated hitter/outfielder can turn his April 30 homer into his annual May breakout.

Santander is just one part of Toronto’s lineup, but he’s the ceiling raiser. We know what this team looks like with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leading the club in homers and Bo Bichette hitting .300. That happened in 2023, a year the Jays exited quietly from the postseason with just one run scored in two wild card games.

We don’t know the potential of a lineup that has the core duo cruising and Santander slugging behind them. But on Wednesday, it all clicked.

“It’s huge for a guy that we’re going to count on for a long time,” Schneider said of Santander. “Not just this year, but going forward. It’s a big hit.”

With Kirk polishing off the comeback with a 10th inning walk-off single, the Blue Jays reached seven runs — more than their previous three games combined. Toronto last scored four or more runs on April 15th. The challenge is now carrying it forward.

We’ve seen random pops from this Blue Jays lineup before. They scored 10 or more runs five times last year and still finished 23rd in runs scored. But if this is a sign of a warming Santander, maybe the Blue Jays can make it more than an anomaly.

“A win like this can do a lot for you,” manager John Schneider said. “You know, I think it brings guys together. And when you’re going through a little bit of a tough stretch, you’re waiting for something like this.”

Injury update

Reliever Erik Swanson experienced forearm tightness prior to his anticipated rehab outing in Dunedin on Tuesday. The 31-year-old righty did not throw in the Florida State League contest and will instead fly to Toronto to meet with Blue Jays doctors. It’s a setback for Swanson, who was approaching an MLB return after nerve issues and forearm fatigue during spring training. The reliever battled through injuries and poor performance in the first half of 2024, but returned to post a 2.55 ERA after the All-Star break.

(Top photo of Anthony Santander celebrating a three-run home run in the seventh inning on Wednesday: Cole Burston / Getty Images)

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