Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger returns to the dugout during the game against the Los Angeles Angels in Toronto on Saturday.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Addison Barger’s start to the 2026 season continues moving forward like a sad country song.
On Monday the Blue Jays placed the power-hitting outfielder on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. Barger returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing a month with an ankle injury and was back on the IL fewer than 48 hours later.
Manager John Schneider said Barger may have had nagging soreness in his elbow on Saturday and could have aggravated it further when he made a 101-mile-per-hour throw from right field to catch Jorge Soler of the Angels out at home plate.
“He is disappointed, as are we,” Schneider said of Barger before Toronto met the Tampa Bay Rays in the first of three games at Rogers Centre. “For him and a lot of other guys it has been a tough start.
“I don’t think I have written up a lineup all season that included all of the guys we expected.”
After banging out 21 home runs and driving in 74 in 2025, Barger has been limited to one hit in 22 at-bats. He had a cortisone shot earlier Monday in hope it would aid in his recovery.
The club called up impressive rookie Yohendrick Pinango from Triple-A Buffalo and he started in left field against the Rays.
In addition, Schneider said that veteran right-hander Jose Berrios, who has been slow to come back from a hairline fracture in his right elbow, is expected to see a surgeon in Dallas on Tuesday. Fellow starting pitcher Max Scherzer is expected to have a cortisone shot in his ailing right thumb as well.
Other than injuries, the biggest news of the day was that Toronto designated left-hander Erik Lauer for reassignment. Lauer, who is 1-5 with a 6.69 earned-run average, allowed six runs in five innings in Sunday’s loss to Los Angeles.
“It was a tough decision and it’s a tough business,” Schneider said. “It was a tough conversation for him and maybe caught him off guard a little bit. He was professional about it and understood.
“We are just trying to move in a different direction.”