Anthony Santander’s time in Toronto has hit a low point

When the Blue Jays signed Anthony Santander to five-year, $92.5 million contract in the offseason, they did so in the hopes that he'd provide some much-needed thumb to their middle of their lineup. So far this season, that signing has been bust.

Santander entered Friday hitting .179 in 184 at-bats, and, if that wasn't enough, he was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday with left shoulder inflammation.

It would be an understatement to say that isn't what the slugger wanted from his first season north of the border.

Last year, Santander slugged a career-high 44 home runs in an All-Star season with the Baltimore Orioles. This year he only has six home runs through 50 games.

While some of that power outage can be due to the hip and shoulder injuries that's he managed all year, it still doesn't take away from how disappointing his season has been.

Anthony Santander’s time in Toronto has hit a low point

Along with only having six home runs, Santander's on-base percentage (.273), OPS (.577), and chase rate (31.5%) tell the story of his season. He's failed to make adjustments at the plate, and his bat has been a bit of a black hole so far this season.

He's gotten off some good swings this year (his home runs against the Red Sox and Padres stand out as high points), he's had far more unproductive at-bats.

Yes, "Tony Taters" is notorious for being a slow starter, but it's nearly June. His slow start has turned into a rough season.

He hit .175 in 29 games in March and April before posting a .186 average in 21 games in May with just two home runs. He's only had seven multi-hit games so far this year, and is in the first percentile in expected batting average and the fifth percentile in expected slugging.

It remains to be seen how long Santander will be out for. Manager John Schneider said on Friday that he didn't know if the course of action going forward would be an injection or rehab. It seems like he could on the shelf for most of the month.

Santander's injury adds to what's been a disappointing year from the team's big free agency signings, as both he and Max Scherzer are on the injured list and likely won't be back until the end of the month at the earliest.

While the Blue Jays have gained significant offense from the bottom order of the lineup and are getting bounce-back seasons from Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho, they'll still need some production from Santander if they want to have a legitimate shot at making the postseason.

On the other side of this equation, Roden will get another shot in the big leagues after a disappointing first stint with the Blue Jays. He's been mashing Triple-A pitching (.361 average in 18 games) and can handle his own in all three outfield positions, so he should get plenty of playing time.