Anthony Santander DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Per manager John Schneider, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander (hip) is expected to rejoin the team on Saturday for their road meeting with the Tampa Bay Rays. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported the news. Schneider also noted that he "liked Clase's ability to make contact in the 7th," when asked if Santander was an option off the bench on Friday, insinuating he may have been available if Schneider felt it was the right move. It's good news for the 30-year-old, who's dealt with an ailing hip for the last week or so. Still, though, he has some work to do to recover from his dreadful start to the year (.188/.270/.327). Hopefully, he's completely past his hip issue. He'll face off against right-handed hurler Shane Baz if all goes according to plan.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander (hip) remains out of action for Friday's contest against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. Santander will miss a second straight game on Friday due to a left-hip injury that he's been dealing with now for the last week. Although the 30-year-old's injury doesn't seem all that serious, we can't rule out an injured-list stint if it continues to bother him and keep him off the field the rest of the weekend. In addition to his hip injury, Santander hasn't lived up to his big free-agent deal and is slashing just .188/.266/.327 with a .594 OPS, six home runs, 18 RBI and 13 runs scored in his first 43 games for the Jays. George Springer is the DH and is batting cleanup on Friday against Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen. Jonatan Clase is in left field and hitting eighth, while Nathan Lukes is in right field and batting ninth.

Toronto Blue Jay outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander (hip) is absent from the lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting San Diego Padres at Rogers Centre as Toronto goes for the three-game sweep. Santander was pulled early from Wednesday's 14-0 blowout win over SD after aggravating a left-hip injury, so it's not a huge surprise the 30-year-old isn't playing a day later in a matinee game. It's unclear if the injury is serious enough to land him on the injured list, but perhaps Toronto will view it as a chance to get the struggling slugger an extended mental break after a tough start to his first year in Canada. Santander is hitting just .188/.266/.327 with six homers, 18 RBI and 13 runs scored. Outfielder Daulton Varsho is the DH and is in the three-hole, while Myles Straw patrols center field and hits eighth on Thursday against Padres right-hander Stephen Kolek.