WASHINGTON -- The Blue Jays had mixed news on the injury front on Monday.
Right fielder Addison Barger avoided a full Tommy John procedure on his ailing right elbow and could be ready to go for Spring Training, manager John Schneider said.
However, right-hander Yimi García is shut down indefinitely in the rehab progression from his 2025 right elbow surgery.
Additionally, the Blue Jays placed Braydon Fisher on the bereavement list Monday to make room for Max Scherzer, with the right-hander returning from the IL to pitch at his former home on his 42nd birthday. And outfielder Jesús Sánchez (right ankle) could rejoin Toronto as early as Friday.
Barger had what Schneider called a “repair” procedure on his right elbow by Dr. Keith Meister on Monday, rather than the full Tommy John reconstruction previously on the table. The recovery time is expected to be six months, meaning the 26-year-old should be healthy in time for 2027 Spring Training.
Barger slashed .243/.301/.454 with 21 homers in 135 games in 2025, his second MLB season, but he has played only nine times for Toronto in 2026.
García pitched one rehab inning with Single-A Dunedin on Saturday in his latest attempt to get back to full health after previous rehab assignments were halted.
“Kind of had more symptoms, kind of neck nerve, after throwing, so we're going to shut him down,” Schneider said. “He's going to go see another specialist, I think, for their possible thoracic outlet [syndrome].”
Schneider said it wasn’t clear yet whether this latest halt could be season-ending for the 35-year-old reliever who will be a free agent in 2027. Signed to a two-year, $ 15-million contract in December 2024, García made 22 relief appearances before undergoing elbow surgery in September 2025.
Sánchez was slashing .274/.316/.437 with seven homers before he sustained an ankle sprain in early June. He traveled Monday to continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, and Schneider said he could rejoin the Blue Jays for this weekend’s home set against the Cardinals.