rehab home – Addison Barger slugged another home run on rehab with Dunedin as he works through a left ankle sprain and eyes a return.
Addison Barger is sending a clear message from the injured list: his power is still there.
On Wednesday night, the 26-year-old utility player launched his second home run in the last three games while on a rehab assignment with the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays. In the outing, Barger went 1-for-4, adding two fly outs and a ground out alongside the homer.
That extra-base pop matters because it comes during a critical stretch of his recovery. After the injury sidelined him, seeing consistent impact swings helps a team gauge how close he is to game-ready form.
Barger has been working his way back from a left ankle sprain that landed him on the 10-day injured list on April 7.. He suffered the problem while trying to leg out an infield single in an early-April game against the Chicago White Sox. after initially being diagnosed with bilateral ankle discomfort.
Before the injury, the left-handed hitter had not yet found the rhythm he showed last season. Through his first stretch, he recorded just one hit and three walks across 23 plate appearances.
For the Blue Jays, every rehab milestone is about more than statistics. It is also a window into how safely the body is responding, and whether the timing and mechanics are holding under real at-bat pressure.
Barger’s recent résumé underscores why the organization is keeping a close eye on his progress.. In 2025, he broke out with 21 home runs, 74 RBIs, and a .756 OPS.. He also contributed during Toronto’s World Series run. adding three more homers. nine RBIs. and a 1.025 OPS. highlighted by a historic pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1.
On Wednesday, the homer was not enough to swing the result for Dunedin, which fell 7-1 to the Bradenton Marauders, the low-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even so, Barger’s latest swing offers a promising sign for what could come next once he nears a return to the majors.
At this stage, the key takeaway is momentum. If Barger continues to show similar output on rehab work, it gives Toronto a stronger pathway to reintegrate him at the moment he is most needed.