Addison Barger gave John Schneider another uneven injury update Friday, and the Blue Jays still do not have a clean return path.
Barger worked out at Rogers Centre as Toronto tried to sort out the next step in his recovery from right elbow inflammation. The bigger issue is not throwing. It is still the bat.
Barger said throwing has felt fine, which is the one part of this report that sounds encouraging. For a player trying to get back into the outfield mix, that matters.
But he also said he has been dealing with residual soreness while hitting, and that is the line that changes the whole tone. A hitter can manage around some discomfort in the field. He cannot fake his way through swings.
The detail that should get fans' attention is that Barger has not faced live pitching yet. Until that happens, this is still a recovery process without a real baseball checkpoint.
That is why the rehab assignment keeps getting pushed back. Toronto cannot send him out to start a game build-up if the swing is still bringing soreness with it.
Barger has already been on the injured list since May 11, retroactive to May 10, after the elbow issue flared up almost right after he returned from an earlier ankle injury.
The Blue Jays still need Addison Barger's bat
This is where the update gets frustrating for Toronto. Barger was supposed to be one of the lineup's more useful young power bats after his 2025 breakout, but 2026 has turned into one stop-and-start stretch after another.
His major league sample this season is tiny, just 22 at-bats, and the .045 average says almost nothing compared to the larger problem of him not being on the field.
Schneider's club has spent much of the season searching for more punch and more lineup balance. A healthy Barger would not solve all of that by himself, but he would give Toronto another left-handed bat with some damage potential. That is an inference based on the team's offensive struggles and Barger's expected role.
Right now, the Blue Jays are stuck waiting for one clear sign: can Barger swing without the soreness creeping back in. Until that answer turns into yes, every other part of the rehab plan stays secondary.
That makes this latest update hard to spin as progress. Throwing fine is nice, but for Barger the return timeline will be decided in the batter's box, not by a few easy throws at Rogers Centre.
Should Blue Jays fans be worried about Addison Barger's delayed rehab?
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