BOSTON -- Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger's long, frustrating season is now a lost season. Barger will undergo right elbow surgery on Monday, which could require a full Tommy John procedure.
If that’s the case, Barger’s rehab process is estimated around nine months, which would stretch well into the 2027 season. If he only needs an internal brace procedure in that elbow, it could be closer to six months.
Barger has been dealing with elbow issues for “a couple of years," manager John Schneider said Friday, but he aggravated this in May, when he uncorked a 101.2-mph throw from right field to get the tagging runner at home and end the inning. It was the hardest-tracked throw on an outfield assist in Barger’s career and the hardest of any Blue Jays player in the Statcast era (since 2015). Unfortunately, that’s come back to bite him.
Barger’s season is now officially over, his 2026 stat line reading just 1-for-22 (.045) over nine games played. First, it was a left ankle injury, then his right elbow and later his back, which developed a stress fracture. This has felt like a cursed season for the 26-year-old, who was coming off a fantastic performance in the 2025 World Series and expected to be a major contributor in ‘26.
“It’s tough to lose the whole year of at-bats, reps and performance,” Schneider said. “We were counting on him to be a big part of our team. You can see how much we miss him, for sure. It’s also a dude starting his career and trending in the right direction who’s missing, basically, a full season. It’s frustrating for him and for us.”
Ninety-nine percent of the time, when you hear “Tommy John” and “internal brace," we’re talking about a pitcher. Barger’s surgery and rehab will be unique, but if this required the full-blown procedure, there are some recent examples to work with.
Bryce Harper underwent Tommy John surgery in November 2022, and he returned to the Phillies’ lineup just 160 days later on May 2, 2023. That was as a DH, though, and Harper didn’t play the field again as a first baseman until July 21 of that season. Those are both a long way from playing right field and throwing the way Barger likes to throw, which is max effort at all times.
If Barger’s bat was undeniable and simply needed to be in the Blue Jays’ lineup, this could be an option in early 2027, but that still feels very unlikely and something only reserved for the elite tier of hitters.
Corey Seager might be a more useful case here. At the end of April 2018, Seager hit the IL and underwent Tommy John surgery soon after. He returned for Opening Day 2019, which was essentially an 11-month rehab process. Seager returned as a shortstop, too, so this works as an example of a player returning to full, regular game reps which included throwing.
The first step for Barger will come when Dr. Keith Meister performs the procedure on Monday, and a decision is made between Tommy John or the internal brace procedure. From there, it will be several months until we can get a fee for Barger’s timeline, regardless of which path this goes down.
This finally brings some clarity to Barger’s season, but that’s no consolation. In a season defined by injuries and a lack of production from core players, Barger’s frustrating 2026 campaign has unfortunately come to represent just that.