Addison Barger gave John Schneider a better update Saturday, and the Blue Jays also got Alejandro Kirk moving closer at the plate.
That matters because Toronto finally has 2 injured bats trending forward at the same time instead of sitting in another holding pattern.
Barger has resumed hitting in the batting cages at the Blue Jays complex in Dunedin. The work so far includes flips and tee work, which is the kind of first build a club wants to see after an elbow issue.
That does not put him on the edge of a return yet. It does tell you the Blue Jays are past the point of simple rest and back into actual baseball activity.
For Barger, that is a needed shift. Every hitting day matters once a player has already lost time, especially for a bat Toronto still sees as part of its bigger lineup picture.
Kirk's update sounded a little farther along. The catcher has been taking on-field batting practice and is expected to progress to high-velocity pitching machines in the coming days.
That is the stronger sign of the 2 updates. Once a hitter starts getting closer to velocity, the rehab stops looking like maintenance and starts looking like preparation.
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Why Kirk and Barger are on different tracks
Barger's work still sounds early. Flips and tee drills are important, but they are also controlled, quiet steps meant to rebuild feel before a hitter is challenged by real speed.
Kirk is already closer to that challenge. Moving from on-field BP to high-velo machines means the Blue Jays want to see how the thumb handles something much closer to game timing.
That difference matters for Toronto. It suggests Kirk may be a little closer to the next real checkpoint, while Barger is still rebuilding the base of his swing.
Neither player is all the way there yet. The Blue Jays are not talking about activation today, and neither update should be stretched into that kind of promise.
Still, this is the kind of injury news Schneider needed. A lineup missing depth and balance gets a little easier to imagine once 2 important bats are finally trending in the right direction.
Kirk's path looks a touch cleaner right now because the progression is moving toward faster, tougher contact. Barger's path looks more careful, which makes sense with an elbow still being worked back into full baseball action.
That does not make one update bad and the other good. It just shows where each player sits on the road back.
For the Blue Jays, the bigger takeaway is simple. Addison Barger is swinging again, Alejandro Kirk is getting closer to real velocity, and Toronto finally has 2 injured hitters giving the club something better than wait-and-see.
Will Alejandro Kirk return before Addison Barger for the Blue Jays?
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