Blue Jays get incredible update on Addison Barger

That is a loud way to restart a comeback. After weeks on the injured list, Barger did not ease quietly back into game action. He went deep right away and reminded Toronto what kind of left-handed thump has been missing.

The bigger point is not just the swing itself. It is what the home run says about where Barger is in the recovery process after a rough early-season stop.

Barger has been out since April 5, when ankle trouble knocked him off the active roster. Recent reporting said he had been dealing with issues in both ankles, which explains why the Blue Jays took a slower path getting him back on the field.

Toronto had already signaled this rehab assignment could be short. Shi Davidi reported that Barger might need only 2 or 3 games, with a return during the next homestand in play.

So when a hitter opens that assignment with a home run, it changes the feel around the whole timetable. This stops looking like a player just trying to get through drills and starts looking more like a bat pushing to get back in the lineup card fast.

The Blue Jays have had to patch together their offense for most of the opening month, and Barger’s absence has been part of that problem. Toronto has been waiting for one of its better power bats to re-enter the mix.

His 2026 numbers with the big club before the injury were ugly, just a .053 average with 2 RBI, but that tiny stretch never looked like the real story. Last season, Barger hit .243 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI, which is why the organization kept viewing him as an important lineup piece.

That is why this first rehab game carried weight. The Blue Jays did not need a cautious single or a quiet 0-for-3. They needed something that looked like impact. They got it.

Schneider has been trying to hold the offense together while the roster keeps shifting. Getting Barger back soon would give Toronto another real bat for the corners and another way to deepen the middle of the order.

There is still more work to do, of course. One rehab homer does not finish a recovery, and the Blue Jays still need Barger to keep moving well on the bases and come through the next games clean.

But Sunday’s message was strong enough on its own. Addison Barger is back in games, his bat showed up immediately, and Toronto suddenly has a much more interesting return clock to watch.