TORONTO — Gary Sanchez’s left-groin strain had healed to the point at which the Yankees removed him from the injured list and put the All-Star catcher in the lineup for Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

Now the Yankees have to hope the slump Sanchez was in before getting injured didn’t follow him from a two-game minor league rehab stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

In 22 games (21 starts) before getting injured, Sanchez hit .135 (12-for-89) with two homers and a .442 OPS.

In an encouraging sign, Sanchez homered in his second at-bat Saturday, a solo blast in the top of the fourth inning. It was his first homer since July 4 at Tampa Bay.

While Sanchez was out, Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka batted .351 (20-for-57) with seven homers and 19 RBIs to remove the sting of losing Sanchez.

Even though Sanchez might get some at-bats as the DH with Edwin Encarnacion and Luke Voit both on the IL, the Yankees sent Higashioka down to Triple-A on Saturday.

“I feel good, the swing feels good,’’ said Sanchez, who was inserted in the cleanup spot by manager Aaron Boone against right-hander Wilmer Font. “Struggles in this game are part of the game. It is in the past and I am looking forward to today.’’

Sanchez took pregame batting practice on the field with Gleyber Torres, who was out of the starting lineup for a fourth straight game due to a core injury, and each put on a show.

It was the second IL stint for Sanchez, who was out from April 11-23 with a strained left calf. If he returns from the latest injury the way he did the first time out, the Yankees will be happy. In 22 games (21 starts) after coming back from the calf problem, Sanchez hit .280 (14-for-92) with nine homers, 20 RBIs and a 1.005 OPS.

“Controlling the strike zone and his at-bat quality. When he is doing that, the results will be there all the time,” Boone said. “I think sometimes he starts chasing results a little bit, expanding the zone, that is when he gets in trouble. But when he is not doing that obviously, he is a beast.’’

A possible sign that Sanchez is ready to contribute immediately is how long he needed to feel the problem vanish.

“Five days after the injury,’’ said Sanchez, who suffered the injury July 23 while running the bases. “I felt good, no discomfort.’’

Sanchez said the injury wasn’t a product of a workout program because his body felt better before he got hurt.

“The workout routine this year, I actually feel stronger and better,’’ Sanchez said. “It doesn’t matter how much you prepare, how much work you have done, injuries are going to happen.”

Fortunately, the Yankees have been able to cover some big injuries in key spots. Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman have played well in Giancarlo Stanton’s absence. Gio Urshela has been very good filling in for Miguel Andujar. Domingo German has been a star while Luis Severino is on the IL and Tommy Kahnle has performed well helping the bullpen overcome not having Dellin Betances yet.

Like a lot of people in the Yankees’ clubhouse, Sanchez was impressed with how Romine and Higashioka played while he was sidelined.

“Of course, a great job by those guys,’’ Sanchez said. “When you get a chance to play those guys are going to go out there and do their job. That is part of the game.’’

This season it has been a big part of the game, but the Yankees, who have put 26 players on the IL (for a total of 33 stints), haven’t been derailed by the injuries. They started Saturday’s action 9 ½ games ahead of the second-place Rays in the AL East and a whopping 15 lengths up on the third-place Red Sox.