Blue Jays get promising update on Addison Barger ahead of Diamondbacks series

Blue Jays get promising update on Addison Barger ahead of Diamondbacks series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Toronto Blue Jays can only hope that they start to get healthy on both sides of the baseball, as the season certainly relies on that. Among the many injuries the Blue Jays are dealing with, Addison Barger is at the top of that list.

Barger is one of the better players on this roster, and he proved that during the postseason a year ago. Unfortunately, Barger hasn't played since April 5 and was struggling a bit even before going down. He was hitting .053, but there's not much of a reason to put too much stock in 19 at-bats when we've seen what he can do in big moments for this organization.

According to the latest, it sounds like his ankle injury is improving. Barger is now out of a walking boot and is looking to get going on the diamond soon.

“Barger’s out of a walking boot, but hasn’t started ramping up towards a return to game action just yet. Schneider expressed hope Barger would miss close to the minimum 10 days, and he’s first eligible to return Friday against the Diamondbacks,” Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet wrote of Barger’s ankle injury.

Having him come back on Friday would be a step in the right direction for a Blue Jays team that is desperate to get any help back. At 3-7 over their last 10, Toronto needs guys like Barger to be back in this lineup, and that's putting it lightly.

More MLB news:

• Blue Jays again criticized for factor they can’t control, but is a harsh one to deal with in Toronto