Toronto Blue Jays stars George Springer and Addison Barger were among the team’s players to receive positive injury updates.
The Blue Jays have been decimated by injuries during the season’s early goings, which have partly contributed to the team going just 8-13 through its first 21 games this year. The good news for the Blue Jays is that several of the team’s injured players look poised to soon rejoin the team.
Veteran reporter Shi Davidi took to X on Monday night, ahead of the Blue Jays’ series opener on the road against the Los Angeles Angels, to announce several positive injury updates for Blue Jays players.
He’ll also do “dynamic warm up and mobility stuff,” said John Schneider, ahead of possible running this week. “It would be great if he was ready on Friday.”
▪️Addison Barger begins running tomorrow at PDC. He’s been hitting, throwing and fielding. “It seems like he’s making progress,” said Schneider.
▪️Yimi Garcia is throwing live to hitters Wednesday for the first time.
▪️Ricky Tiedemann, shut down in late February with elbow soreness, is back throwing bullpens at the PDC in Dunedin.
According to Davidi’s report, here are the positive injury updates for the following Blue Jays players:
- George Springer: The veteran DH is throwing and will begin running soon. Springer could return by Friday after fracturing his toe on April 11. The injury was more annoying than serious, so he could return after just two weeks on the sidelines.
- Addison Barger: Has been hitting, throwing, and fielding, and will begin running tomorrow at the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex (PDC). Barger has been on the IL since April 6 due to an ankle injury.
- Yimi Garcia: The longtime reliever has yet to throw a pitch this year after having elbow surgery that ended his 2025 season. Garcia will throw to live hitters this week, so his return to the Blue Jays’ bullpen could be imminent.
- Additionally, starting pitchers Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios are both throwing rehab games, while Shane Bieber will take part in a bullpen game.
- Finally, top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann is throwing again at the PDC.
The Blue Jays Badly Need These Reinforcements
So far in 2026, it has been a nightmarish start to the season for the Blue Jays. After reaching Game 7 of the World Series last year and coming within a hair of beating the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series, the Blue Jays have struggled out of the gate this season. The team’s lineup has been inconsistent, the bullpen has been bad, and the starting pitching has been up-and-down. The Blue Jays have also dealt with tons of injuries, both to the aforementioned players in this article, plus other players such as catcher Alejandro Kirk and outfielder Anthony Santander, among others. In addition, the team has dealt with a contagious, flu-like illness that ravaged the clubhouse. If the Blue Jays are going to turn their season around, they need their key players to get healthy and return to the field to help out the big-league ballclub.
The Blue Jays are in a Stacked Division
The Blue Jays are in the American League East, which has traditionally been one of the strongest and deepest divisions in MLB. The. The New York Yankees are a top World Series contender seemingly every year, the Tampa Bay Rays are always solid, the Baltimore Orioles have an up-and-coming roster, and the Boston Red Sox are a winning franchise. That’s why the Blue Jays can’t afford to dig themselves too deep a hole in the standings early on in the season, and so the imminent returns of Springer, Barger, and more will certainly help the team win more games.
George Springer, Addison Barger Receive Positive Injury Updates for Blue Jays