Blue Jays replace Santander on ALCS roster with Loperfido

The Toronto Blue Jays have removed outfielder Anthony Santander from their American League Championship Series roster because of recurring back stiffness, MLB announced Thursday, ending Santander's 2025 season and making him ineligible for the World Series should the Blue Jays advance. The club replaced Santander on the active roster with outfielder Joey Loperfido after requesting and receiving approval from Major League Baseball.

Manager John Schneider said the decision followed a worsening of Santander's back issue after Game 3 against the Seattle Mariners. Santander had been a late scratch for Game 2 with back tightness, returned to start Game 3, and was removed in the fifth inning. Schneider described the problem as "stiff and sore" and said the move was made to protect the player's health, saying, "Everyone's grinding right now, and Tony's grinding. With the way he's been feeling, it made sense to make that change."

Under postseason rules, teams may only change their series roster for an injured player with the Commissioner's Office review to prevent roster manipulation. Once a player is substituted out of a series, he cannot be reinstated for later rounds, a restriction...