BOSTON — Toronto Blue Jays slugger Addison Barger will miss the rest of the 2026 season due to right elbow surgery. After a breakout campaign during Toronto’s run to the World Series last year, Barger was expected to be a huge part of the club’s chances this season. Instead, both his and the Jays’ year have been filled with disappointment and injury.After hitting 21 homers last year, and three more in the playoffs, Barger’s 2026 season is over after just nine games and one hit. He hasn’t played since hurting his elbow on a throw from the outfield on May 9th that was clocked at 101.2 mph. The Jays currently sit 28th in MLB in homers from outfielders (32), after receiving the second-most last year (113). For a Jays team (47-56) that has lacked power and big-swing potential, Barger’s absence has been noticeable.“It’s tough to lose the whole year of at-bats, reps, performance,” manager John Schneider said. “We were counting on him, obviously, to be a big part of our team. You can see how much you miss him, for sure.”
Barger has been dealing with elbow issues for “a couple years,” Schneider said, and the Jays hope surgery will eliminate any problems moving forward. He will undergo either full Tommy John surgery or an internal brace procedure on Monday. Noted surgeon and Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery. Rehab for the internal brace procedure takes about six months for position players, Schneider said. A full Tommy John surgery would be around a nine-month recovery. They will decide on an option on Monday.The rehab timeline for both potential procedures will likely cost Barger some time at the start of next season, though a looming lockout could result in a later Opening Day than usual.While major elbow surgery is much more common for pitchers, there are recent examples of position players successfully returning from the surgery. Bryce Harper underwent full Tommy John surgery in November 2022 and returned in May 2023, though he was limited to designated hitter duty for nearly three months before returning to the field. When asked if there was a chance Barger could return as a DH at first, Schneider said the Jays will need to see how their team is built next year.For now, Barger’s season-ending surgery continues an unfortunate injury trend for the 2026 Jays. They lost Anthony Santander to shoulder surgery in the spring, Cody Ponce tore his ACL during his first start of the year, José Berríos underwent Tommy John surgery, Max Scherzer has spent most of the season on the injured list, George Springer hurt his toe twice, and so on. Many Jays eventually got healthy, but the team hasn’t yet managed to recover in the standings.As Barger rehabbed, neared game action and then suffered a setback (a back injury) while recovering from his initial elbow injury, the outfielder’s potential return was a tantalizing prospect for a Jays team in need of an offensive injection. It’s a 2026 return that will now not occur.
