The Toronto Blue Jays' early-season injury troubles continued Sunday as Addison Barger exited a 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox with bilateral ankle discomfort. The 26-year-old right fielder was removed in the sixth inning after appearing to injure himself while trying to beat out a ground ball in the third. Barger stretched for the bag and landed awkwardly, later showing visible discomfort before being replaced by Jesus Sanchez.
Barger stayed in the game after the awkward sequence and even took another at-bat in the sixth inning, flying out to center field before being pulled. Manager John Schneider expressed cautious optimism postgame.
“Hopefully he’s all right,” said Schneider. “Hopefully it's just a day or two, or maybe not even a day.”
The injury is the latest blow for Toronto, which has already placed catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb) and right-hander Cody Ponce (sprained right ACL) on the injured list. Several others, including Jose Berrios, Yimi Garcia, and Anthony Santander, are also unavailable. With injuries mounting, the Blue Jays have dropped four straight, dropping to 4-5 after being swept by the White Sox.
The situation is made worse by Barger's lack of production. He has just one hit in 16 at-bats this season, producing a .053 average in one account and limited offensive output overall, with one run scored and two RBI. This comes after a successful 2025 season in which he hit .243 with a .301 on-base percentage, .451 slugging percentage, 21 home runs, and 74 RBI across 135 games.
If Barger misses time, Toronto may turn to recent acquisition Tyler Fitzgerald or internal options such as Nathan Lukes or other Triple-A depth pieces. The Blue Jays now head home for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Monday.
