Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider gave updates on three of the team’s injured hitters - Addison Barger, Lenyn Sosa and Anthony Santander - on Thursday.
Per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon, outfielder/third baseman Barger could play in rehab games as early as this weekend, or the beginning of next week. Bannon adds that the team initially hoped his stay on the injured list - his second of the season, this time with an elbow issue - would be short, but the downtime and ramp up have both been longer than expected.
Barger has appeared in just nine games this season after the start of his campaign was interrupted by an ankle issue. He has hit 1-for-22 with a double and two runs batted in in 28 plate appearances.
Infielder Sosa is “behind Barger” in his rehab, Schneider said on Thursday, but he’s started hitting in the team’s complex in Florida. He has been on the injured list since May 27 with a hand contusion.
Sosa, 26, was acquired in a trade from the Chicago White Sox in April. In 28 games with the Blue Jays, the fifth-year player has hit .188 with one home run.
Schneider also gave an update on Santander, who is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, saying that he is scheduled to start hitting “either this weekend or next.”
Santander has played in just nine games for the Blue Jays since June 1 of last season. He returned from an extended absence due to a shoulder injury last year in September and appeared in five games in the postseason before he was shut down again.
“Once he starts, I think you treat it as a normal spring training almost,” Schneider said. “I think there’s a shot he could definitely be a factor.”
The Blue Jays (36-38) have sorely struggled to hit for power this season, entering play Thursday ranked 23rd in runs scored and 22nd in home runs hit. A productive return for any of those three hitters could significantly bolster this lineup, with August’s trade deadline looming as another option for improvement.
