Blue Jays say Anthony Santander (shoulder) expected out 5-6 months

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the labrum in his left shoulder and is expected to be sidelined five to six months, manager John Schneider said Tuesday.

“He was resting and rehabbing in November and December, then he kind of had a setback when he started ramping up with his hitting earlier in January,” Schneider said, according to MLB.com. “He came over to the complex, got checked out and did everything we could to avoid this. At this point, after what we dealt with last year and in talking with Tony, this is the best possible way to get him back to 100%. This is unfortunate timing, obviously.”

It was one of several injury updates given by Schneider, who also said right-hander Shane Bieber is dealing with forearm fatigue and won’t be ready for Opening Day.

Schneider said the team was being extra cautious with Bieber and expected him to be a major contributor this season.

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Bieber was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery when he was acquired from Cleveland at the July 31 trade deadline last year. He made his season debut Aug. 22 and pitched 40⅓ innings for Toronto during the regular season, going 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts. But he threw 18⅔ innings in the postseason with a 3.86 ERA and helped the Blue Jays come to within one win of a World Series championship.

“In talking to him and talking with our medical team, just decided that the best possible outcome would be this,” Schneider said. “Slow play it a little after going through what he went through in the postseason and the World Series.”

In addition, right-hander Bowden Francis will sit out the 2026 season after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery.

Santander is entering his second season with the Blue Jays after signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract in free agency last year after an All-Star season for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 when he set career bests with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs.

He sat out almost four months last season because of a left shoulder injury and hit just .175 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 54 games. He was limited to only five games — hitting .200 (3-for-15) with no homers and two RBIs — during the postseason and was replaced on the Blue Jays’ ALCS roster because of a back injury.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.