The Toronto Blue Jays will be up against the Seattle Mariners in Game 2 of the ALCS, and they won't have one of their key players for the matchup, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
“News: Anthony Santander is out of the lineup with back tightness,” Matheson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
With the Blue Jays down 1-0, they're going to need as much help as they can to get back into the series. Santander has been key for the Blue Jays this season and during the postseason, and the hope is that he doesn't miss more games than this one for the team.
Santander was supposed to be No. 7 in the lineup, but now, Ernie Clement will be in that spot, moving up from No. 8. Davis Schneider is set to replace Santander, as he will now bat in the No. 8 spot. In Game 1, Santander went 1-for-3 with a single and a strikeout. During the postseason, he has hit 3-for-13 with no extra-base hits.
Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays last offseason but missed four months because of a left shoulder injury. He hit .175 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 54 games.
After their Game 1 loss, the Blue Jays knew what they needed to do as the series continued. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. kept it simple, saying that they just didn't hit. With them knowing that, the hope is that their bats catch fire at the right time and they're able to tie the series. Despite Santander's absence, the Blue Jays still have enough to win.
