Blue Jays third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger‘s season is over. He will undergo elbow surgery and will spend the rest of the season rehabbing. It is not yet known if he will have Tommy John surgery or another internal brace. The first one will have a recovery period of approximately nine months, the last six months. He is already on the 60-day disabled list and will remain there through the end of the season. MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson was among those to report the news.
Unfortunately, 2026 will go down as a lost season for Barger. He played in eight games this year before a sprained left ankle put him on the IL. He was sent back to IL in May and played in another game. In that contest, he made a spectacular throw to right field, hitting a shot Jorge Soler out on the plate. It’s unknown if he hurt himself on that particular throw, as he sat out the rest of the game, but was placed on IL with elbow inflammation two days later.
The Jays initially expressed hope for Barger to make a quick return but he ran into a few hiccups, including a stress reaction in his back, and never seemed to be on track. He will now miss the rest of this season and possibly part of the 2027 season.
Missing almost the entire season would be a disappointing result under any circumstances but it is especially so for Barger and the Jays. Last year, he was a key part of the team’s run to the World Series. He hit 21 home runs and slashed .243/.301/.454, then hit three more homers in the postseason. Hopes were high that Barger and the Jays could keep things going through 2026, but he was on the shelf when the club posted a 47-56 record.
The Jays will now continue without Barger for the rest of the campaign. Kazuma Okamoto it will be normal at third base and the outfield will be more flexible. Right now they have it Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, George Springer, By Hendrick Piñango, Davis Schneider again Myles Straw in the list. Jesus Sánchez he is in IL but started the repair work yesterday. Anthony Santander he could feature later in the year if he recovers from shoulder surgery, although there’s no guarantee he’ll be back in time. Jonathan’s section again Lenny Sosa they are also in IL right now. Rudy Martin was claimed off waivers this week and sent to Triple-A.
With the Jays back on top, they could make some trades before the Aug. 3 deadline. Varsho and Springer could be free agents, though a trade for Springer could be difficult with his 10 and 5 rights. Straw’s deal has an $8MM club option for next year, with a $1.75MM buyout. That option has little value for the gloveman’s fourth outfielder and Cleveland included the purchase price as part of the trade that sent him to Toronto. It looks like he will go too. Sánchez is under club control in 2027 but is already making $6.8MM this year and will be due for a raise, so the Jays will listen to the offer. 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 at its peak.
Ideally, Barger will return on Opening Day 2027. Who makes up the team around him will depend on what trades are made in the next week and beyond, as well as what happens next season.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
