As expected, Addison Barger was activated from the Blue Jays’ 10-day injured list today. The team announced that outfielder Yohendrick Pinango was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo in the corresponding move.
The 2026 season has essentially been a wash for Barger to date, between his five weeks on the IL and his ice-cold start at the plate. Barger had only one hit and three walks in his first 23 plate appearances, resulting in an ugly .053/.174/.105 slash line. He hasn’t played since April 5, when he hurt both ankles while trying to beat out a grounder to first base. What was initially termed as “bilateral ankle discomfort” was officially designated as a left ankle sprain when Barger was placed on the injured list.
Barger returns looking to get his season on track, and to ideally return to the form that make him a breakout player during the 2025 regular season and especially during Toronto’s postseason run. With Kazuma Okamoto now firmly entrenching himself as the everyday third baseman, Barger will mostly be deployed in right field, though his ability to play third base in a pinch could be useful in late-game situations or if Okamoto is given a rest day or a DH day.
Since Barger is a left-handed hitter who will be handling corner outfield duty, Pinango was a little redundant on the active roster, but manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and other reporters that the team was impressed during Pinango’s brief stay in the majors. Pinango hit .423/.444/.462 over his first 27 plate appearances as a big leaguer, and is very likely to get another look in Toronto at some point in 2026.
Schneider provided more injury updates to the media (including The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon) yesterday, with some positive news on some other position players. Alejandro Kirk is throwing and started swinging this week in the latest steps of his recovery from thumb surgery, and Nathan Lukes has started running drills as he recovers from a hamstring strain.
On the pitching front, Shane Bieber will throw a live bullpen session on Tuesday, and Yimi Garcia started a minor league rehab assignment. Both right-handers started the season on the 15-day IL before being moved to the 60-day IL to give the duo more time to build up arm strength. Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue over the offseason while Garcia underwent surgery last September to fix scar tissue in his throwing elbow.
The outlook isn’t as clear for Jose Berrios, who is set to visit Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday. An MRI on Berrios’ right elbow revealed inflammation but also “changes to his previous stress fracture.” What exactly this means for Berrios perhaps won’t be known until after his consultation, or if any kind of surgery might be under discussion.
At the very least, it doesn’t look like Berrios will be back on the mound in the near future, so the veteran right-hander’s 2026 debut will continue to be on hold for some time. What began as elbow inflammation and then a stress fracture in his right elbow put Berrios on the 15-day IL to begin the season, though it appears like he didn’t experience much actual discomfort until his most recent Triple-A rehab start.
Max Scherzer is also on the 15-day IL, sidelined by left ankle inflammation and tendinitis in his right forearm. The ankle problem looks to have largely subsided, while the forearm issue is being treated by a cortisone shot, so Scherzer won’t resume throwing for five days. Since his IL stint began on April 25, Scherzer will obviously miss longer than the minimum amount of time, and a loose return timeframe of late May seems possible if the cortisone shot is a fix and Scherzer’s throwing progression goes smoothly.
