Upon signing with the Expos, Santovenia spent his first season as a member of the West Palm Beach Expos, playing alongside future star Andrés Galarraga. He played 40 games in West Palm Beach in 1982, and spent the full 1983 season with the Memphis Chicks. After spending the 1984 season with the Jacksonville Suns, he spent the next two seasons moving between the AA-level Suns and the AAA-level Indianapolis Indians. Santovenia spent most of the 1987 season with the Suns, playing 117 games for them. He had a batting average of .279, hit 19 home runs, and had a slugging percentage of .467.