Barger, Scherzer among Blue Jays waiting for good news on injury front

TORONTO -- It must have felt so strange for manager John Schneider to manage the All-Star Game without reading off a laundry list of injury updates a few hours before first pitch. Friday at Rogers Centre, he was back to business.

The Blue Jays need all the help they can get to climb out of this hole, but their return from the break brought more bad news than good, particularly with Addison Barger (back, right elbow), who has still not started any level of rehab activity.

This is what you need to know, and how it could impact the coming weeks.

The latest injury updates

RF Addison Barger
With no level of activity yet, this is getting worrying for Barger, who represented such upside this season but has only taken 22 at-bats. Both his right elbow injury from earlier in the year and Barger’s stress fracture in his back are still issues, so this isn’t a simple process. He’ll need weeks to build back up, almost like his own shortened Spring Training at this point, so the Blue Jays need to see some movement here by early August.

“I think we’re getting to the point where we either say ‘go’ or ‘no’,” Schneider said. “Dealing with those two things is tough. He’s frustrated. It will be August at the earliest."

RHP Max Scherzer
We’re back to the thumb issue with Scherzer. Over the break, he got three injections in that problematic right thumb. It’s not common to hear of a player getting three injections in the same spot, but now that Scherzer is past his back, left ankle and right forearm issues, this is the last one standing in his way. All of these injuries add up to Scherzer pitching just 22 innings this season, though, with a 10.23 ERA.

“I wouldn’t call it a step back, I would call it a bit of a pause,” Schneider said. “Everything else is feeling good -- arm, ankle, back. We’re trying to knock out all of the stuff around it. He felt this a little bit when he was throwing before the break back here, so we want to knock that out. Then, when we hit ‘go,' he can go and not have these stalls in between.”

OF Anthony Santander
Just as Santander was about to start swinging the bat again after his left shoulder surgery earlier this year, he felt something in that shoulder and has received a cortisone injection. This is yet another step back for Santander, whose first two seasons have been very difficult, with just 55 games played around these shoulder issues. At this point, it’s beginning to feel unlikely that we will see Santander in 2026.

What this means for the Blue Jays down the stretch

The Trade Deadline is important here, looming just over two weeks away on Aug. 3. The pending returns of outfielder Jesús Sánchez -- who is getting closer -- and reliever Yimi García could help, but these updates leave the Blue Jays even more reliant on their own players turning this around.

Barger, in particular, felt like someone who could be the saviour. He was simply spectacular in the 2025 postseason, batting .367 with a 1.024 OPS. It looked like something had been unlocked for Barger, who has always been so gifted physically, but was beginning to see the game slow down around him. Now, the Blue Jays need to plan as if both Barger and Santander will not be a factor in 2026. If either is, consider it a bonus.

In Scherzer’s case, he was never expected to be the saviour, but the Blue Jays hoped he could at least return in time to provide depth. With five “traditional” starters, the Blue Jays could shift Spencer Miles back into the bullpen full-time, where he remains extremely valuable, but this rotation remains a four-man show with Miles as the swingman. That puts the Blue Jays one injury away from a dangerous spot, too.

This season has been defined by bad news, too often the type of news that comes three hours before first pitch when Schneider reads out the injury updates. Friday’s return to play didn’t bring much hope, so if it wasn’t already clear to everyone, the fate of the 2026 season rests in the hands of the 26 players in that clubhouse.