Blue Jays Keeping Door Open For Addison Barger Injury Replacement

Pinango slashed .423/.444/.462 during his first stint in the majors and after demoting him in favor of Barger, manager John Schneider praised the young outfielder and opened the possibility that he will return to the big-league roster down the line.

“We’re just looking at the runway for him and the runway for others and it didn’t really match up,’’ Schneider said of Pinango on Saturday, per Zicarelli. “I could see him being part of us again at some point. He definitely showed well.”

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Toronto Blue Jays’ Addison Barger Hit With Injury Setback

Then, suddenly on Sunday, there might have been a new reason to bring Pinango back. Following a stellar assist from the outfield in the second inning on Saturday, Barger was scratched with a potential injury.

“Addison Barger removed from Jays’ lineup due to right elbow soreness,” Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported on X, formerly Twitter.

In the wake of that update, MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson noted that Barger had a large ice wrap around his right elbow following Saturday’s game, raising more questions about the seriousness of the problem.

News that Barger could be sidelined once again instantly raised questions about Pinango’s availability right after the Blue Jays’ decision to demote him. On Sunday, the team started Myles Straw and Jesus Sanchez alongside Daulton Varsho in the outfield. But depending on the extent of Barger’s injury, perhaps Pinango could return to the roster very shortly after leaving it.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com