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Where is the offense of the Toronto Blue Jays ? That is what every fan of this team and the entire baseball world is wondering after what was supposed to be a high-powered lineup has been one of the most disappointing units in the MLB to start the year. With names like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Anthony Santander in the batter order, the fact they have scored the second-fewest runs so far this season is a major concern.
A lot of that falls on the star players. While Guerrero and Bichette have good numbers on paper with slash lines of .271/.
368/.411 and .290/.
326/.363, respectively, they have combined for just 27 RBI and are struggling to put runs up on the board consistently. Santander's lackluster play has been a major component of this poor offense, too.
Signed to a five-year, $92.5 million contract this past offseason, he was supposed to add another element of power and consistent hitting to the mix after he had 44 homers and 102 RBI in 2024. Those were career-best figures, so perhaps the Blue Jays should have foreseen a bit of regression, but his OPS+ of 63 is a far cry from the 114 he had during his eight years with the Baltimore Orioles .
Manager John Schneider is searching for ways to spark a turnaround for the slugger, and he believes playing Santander in the field more often will help him improve his output at the plate. "Schneider aims to adjust that ratio and give Santander more work in the outfield, something the team and the slugger feel could help him at the plate," reported Shi Davidi of Sportsnet . Santander, who played 135 games in the outfield and just 25 at designated hitter last season with the Orioles, has been used as the designated hitter 17 times compared to getting 11 starts in the outfield.
Toronto has largely done that because their Gold Glove-winning center fielder Daulton Varsho was on the injured list to start the year. And since Santander has never been a plus-defender with a defensive bWAR of minus-3.6, the coaching staff felt it was better to keep his bat in the lineup without using him in the field.
But with Varsho now back, that is set to change. Santander also believes his game will improve once he's used in the field more often. "As an athlete, you always want to be involved in the game and have action, not being stuck on the bench .
.. I'm not ready to be a full-time DH.
I'm still young. It's something I've been talking about with the skipper, we have good communication about it. It's going to be beneficial for the team and for me," he said, per Davidi.
Whether his season can be turned around by being a full-time outfielder once again will be seen. The Blue Jays need it to happen, and if it does, that could be the missing piece to unlock this offense. Recommended Articles.
