Blue Jays third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger‘s season is done. He is going to have elbow surgery and will spend the rest of the season rehabbing. It’s not yet known whether he will have Tommy John surgery or the internal brace alternative. The former would have an estimated recovery time of nine months, the latter six months. He is already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there through the end of the season. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com was among those to relay the news.
Unfortunately, 2026 will go down as an effectively lost season for Barger. He made eight appearances this year before a left ankle sprain put him on the IL. He was reinstated from the IL in May and played in one more game. In that contest, he made an amazing throw from right field, gunning Jorge Soler out at the plate. It’s not known if he injured himself on that specific throw, since he stayed in for the remainder of the game, but he was then placed on the IL due to elbow inflammation two days later.
The Jays initially expressed optimism about Barger making a relatively quick return but he hit a few setbacks, including a stress reaction in his back, and never seemed to get on track. Now he is going to miss the remainder of this season and potentially part of the 2027 season as well.
Missing almost an entire season would be a disappointing outcome under any circumstances but that’s especially the case for Barger and the Jays. Last year, he was a key part of the club’s World Series run. He hit 21 home runs and slashed .243/.301/.454, then hit another three homers in the postseason. Hopes were high that Barger and the Jays could keep things rolling in 2026 but he has mostly been on the shelf while the club has scuffled to a 47-56 record.
The Jays will now proceed without Barger for the rest of the campaign. Kazuma Okamoto will be the regular at third base while the outfield will be more in flux. They currently have Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, George Springer, Yohendrick Piñango, Davis Schneider and Myles Straw on the roster. Jesús Sánchez is on the IL but started a rehab assignment yesterday. Anthony Santander could potentially make an appearance late in the year if he recovers from his shoulder surgery, though it’s not a guarantee he makes it back in time. Jonatan Clase and Lenyn Sosa are also on the IL right now. Rudy Martin was claimed off waivers this week and has been sent to Triple-A.
With the Jays back in the standings, they could do some selling before the August 3 deadline. Varsho and Springer are impending free agents, though a Springer trade could be complicated by his 10-and-5 rights. Straw’s deal has an $8MM club option for next year, with a $1.75MM buyout. That option is a bit pricey for a glove-first fourth outfielder and Cleveland is covering the buyout price as part of the trade that sent him to Toronto. He seems likely to go as well. Sánchez is under club control through 2027 but is already making $6.8MM this year and would be due an arbitration raise, so the Jays will surely listen to offers. Lukes is under club control for four more years but is 32 years old, so perhaps the Jays would be open to trading him while his value is arguably at its apex.
Ideally, Barger will be back by Opening Day 2027. Who composes the group around him will depend upon what trades are made in the next week-plus, as well as what happens in the upcoming offseason.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
