The Blue Jays will be without Addison Barger once again after the outfielder was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with right elbow inflammation. The move comes just two days after he returned from an IL stint with an ankle injury.
Barger returned Saturday against the Angels but felt sore the following day, prompting the Blue Jays to scratch him from the starting lineup. He underwent an MRI, which revealed inflammation but no structural damage, according to manager John Schneider.
Barger received a cortisone shot Monday and will pause baseball activities for three to four days. The Blue Jays are hopeful the 26-year-old will need only the minimum 10 days on the IL.
“Hopefully it’s a short stint,” Schneider said. “It sucks. [He had] one game back and [now he’s] back on [the injured list].”
The Blue Jays made a flurry of moves Monday before opening a three-game home series versus the Rays, recalling Yohendrick Piñango from Triple-A and selecting right-hander Yariel Rodríguez to the big league roster. Left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer was also designated for assignment.
Barger's latest IL stint is yet another blow for the Blue Jays, who have dealt with injuries to key players all season. He was a big part of their AL pennant-winning team last season, clubbing 21 homers in the regular season and batting .480 with a homer and five RBIs in the World Series against the Dodgers.
Though Barger is just 1-for-22 (.045) at the plate this season, he's helped the team in other ways. On Saturday, he uncorked a 101.2 mph throw from right field -- the fastest in MLB this season -- to nail the Angels' Jorge Soler at the plate after he attempted to score on a would-be sac fly.
“I don't think it was the one throw from right field,” Schneider said. “I think it was kind of just nagging on him, and he woke up feeling worse than what he thought.”
Taking Barger’s place on the roster is Piñango, who rejoined the big league club, batted second and played right field Monday night against the Rays. He hit .423 with a .906 OPS across 10 games during his earlier stint with Toronto this year, and was batting .288 with three homers and an .858 OPS at Triple-A Buffalo.
Lauer excelled in a swingman role for the Blue Jays in 2025, posting a 3.18 ERA across 104 2/3 regular-season innings and making five playoff appearances, including 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the World Series.
The left-hander couldn’t replicate that success in 2026, pitching to a 6.69 ERA while allowing an AL-leading 11 home runs through eight outings before Toronto designated him for assignment.
His last outing Sunday versus the Angels was especially bumpy, as he yielded six runs, including three homers, leading to his AL-worst fifth loss.
“[It was a] tough conversation because of what he did last year,” Schneider said of the decision to designate Lauer for assignment. “I know it was kind of back and forth with him this year, bullpen and starting. It just felt like we needed to go in a different direction.”
With Lauer designated for assignment and José Berríos shut down for further examinations on his elbow, Toronto’s quest to fill its fifth rotation spot continues.
Rodríguez, who appeared in 66 games for Toronto during the 2025 season, could be part of the solution as a potential opener. The Blue Jays originally signed him as a starting pitcher out of Cuba in 2024, and he has made 22 starts at the Major League level.
Schneider also name-dropped Spencer Miles -- who has been solid with a 3.00 ERA in 12 games -- as well as CJ Van Eyk and Chad Dallas, both of whom are currently with Triple-A Buffalo, as other arms to cover that fifth start day going forward.
The Blue Jays will also explore the idea of outside help via a trade to bolster their depth and try to stop this problem from continuing to recur.
“There are ways to explore around the league, too,” Schneider said. “I know that Ross [Atkins] and everyone are crossing every bridge they can to figure that out.”