After missing three games with a lower back injury, Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander was asked Wednesday how he felt in his return game against the Blue Jays.

“Not 100 percent, but I feel much better today,” Santander said, smiling.

In his first game back with the team, Santander went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in a 7-0 Orioles victory. The 28-year-old is in the midst of one of the best seasons in his career, as he is currently batting .250 with 23 home runs and 67 RBIs. He has been a reliable presence in the young lineup, which has propelled the team to a 78-48 record in 2023.

“Nice to have him back in the lineup,” manager Brandon Hyde said after the game. “[His back] is probably something that I’m going to have to monitor, and as you can tell, he makes a huge impact on our lineup when he’s in there.”

Santander hit the first home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, sending the ball 393 feet to right field to extend the Orioles’ lead to two runs. He said after the game that he was expecting a pitch high in the zone but adjusted well.

“I guess I’m a good low-pitch hitter,” Santander said. “I was able to stay back on my leg and pull a good swing.”

The outfielder’s second home run in the bottom of the eighth inning put the Orioles in front 3-0 and kickstarted a five-run rally that sealed the game for Baltimore. Santander pulled this one over the right field wall as well.

As the Orioles begin to look ahead to the postseason, a near certainty for them regardless of whether they take the AL East over the Rays, experience will be especially important for the upstart contenders. None of the team’s everyday starters, Santander included, have ever appeared in the postseason. But Santander, having joined the team in 2017, is one of Baltimore’s longest-tenured members and could provide leadership when the time comes.

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