Santander explains injury: Torn labrum didn't show on MRI in 2025

Anthony Santander shed more light on the shoulder injury that has curtailed his Toronto Blue Jays tenure.

Upon arrival at spring training last week, manager John Schneider revealed that Santander needed surgery to repair a torn labrum and would miss at least five-to-six months of action. On Wednesday, the former All-Star outfielder said that the full extent of his injury wasn't known until recently, as the tear didn't show up on any of the imaging taken last summer.

"It's nobody's fault. It just didn't show up," Santander said via an interpreter, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "When they opened it up, they could see that actually I needed (surgery). They didn't know why the MRI didn't show how bad it was."

Santander, who signed a five-year, $92.5-million deal with the Blue Jays last winter, only played 54 games during his first season with Toronto because of what the team initially called left shoulder inflammation. He spent several months resting and then rehabbing before returning late in 2025. The 31-year-old hit just .175/.271/.294 with six homers during the regular season then went 3-for-15 in five playoff games before being removed from the postseason roster during the ALCS due to a back issue.

Because he wasn't aware of the torn labrum, Santander followed a similar pattern of resting and rehabbing this winter. He didn't experience any trouble until January, when he started ramping up his swing program and the pain he first felt in May returned, according to Davidi.

Another period of rest followed, only for the pain to come back once he started swinging again. The team then sent him for another MRI, which finally revealed the tear.

"Unfortunately, things happen that are not in your control," Santander said, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "I know some people think differently, but I know who I am. I know I'm trying my best to be on the field with my teammates."

Santander underwent the procedure last Wednesday. If all goes well with his rehab, the five-to-six month timeline would put him on track to return around the All-Star break at the earliest, although mid-August could be a more realistic target.

For now, he's going to take things slowly and carefully to rebuild the strength in his shoulder. While he doesn't want to look too far ahead, Santander is hopeful that, at minimum, he can contribute to a contending Blue Jays team late in 2026.

"We'll see where we're at when we get there," he said. "If it doesn't work, obviously the other option is to wait until next year, but I hope it doesn't go that way."