Blue Jays get brutal update on Addison Barger after suffering a new injury

The Toronto Blue Jays are having a rough 2026 season, as they came into the year as World Series contenders, and heading into July, they're barely a postseason-caliber team.

One of the main reasons why the season hasn't gone to plan is the struggles of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but the more important issue has been injuries.

As Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports, the Blue Jays got some exceptionally bad news recently on Addison Barger, as the fan favorite outfielder, during a rehab assignment, sustained a setback, which has shut him down for quite a while.

Blue Jays' Addison Barger shut down after new back injury

"News: Addison Barger, already rehabbing from his elbow injury, now has a stress reaction (small fracture) in his back," Matheson reports. "He will be shut down for a couple of weeks."

This is a terrible update for the Blue Jays, as the 26-year-old outfielder is now going to miss quite a bit more time, with a few more weeks the minimum for Barger's absence going forward.

In the minor leagues this season, where he's been rehabbing from an elbow injury, he had a 1.189 OPS in nine at-bats with two homers and three RBIs.

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But now, Barger is going to take a step back after sustaining a completely different injury in his back, with a brutal fracture that will keep him out for a while longer this season.

This season, Barger has played in just nine games at the MLB level, posting a 0.45 batting average with a .305 OPS in very limited playing time.

After posting a .755 OPS last season and a 1.024 OPS in the postseason, Barger's absence from this lineup has been one of the big storylines of the year.

Now, Barger is going to miss quite a while longer with a back injury on top of the elbow issue, which originally landed him on the IL this season.

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