Blue Jays Make Unfortunate Announcement During Red Sox Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Feb 23, 2025 2:42 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are playing their second Spring Training game on Sunday, facing off at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida. Each team entered the contest 1-0 on the spring.

After playing many of their regulars in the Spring Training opener, Toronto gave Bo Bichette, Andres Gimenez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. the day off on Sunday. This opened some playing time for the organization's young talent, including 2018 sixth round MLB draft pick Addison Barger.

Making his 2025 Spring Training debut on Sunday, Barger got the start at third base, hitting second for manager John Schneider.

In his first at-bat on Sunday, Barger took a Garrett Crochet pitch off the hand and was forced to exit the game. It was ruled a foul ball off the knob of the bat, but it evidently caught a piece of Barger's hand, making him unable to finish the at-bat.

The Blue Jays have since announced Barger has a hand contusion, which caused his exit.

UPDATE: INF Addison Barger was removed from today’s game with a right hand contusion.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 23, 2025

This projects to be an important spring for Barger as he competes for playing time in a crowded Blue Jays infield. While the Blue Jays have not revealed a timetable for his return, Barger's spring debut ending midway through one at-bat is unfortunate.

While he posted just a .601 OPS in 2024, his first season in MLB, Barger was ranked Toronto's sixth-best prospect in 2023 (via MLB.com). The 25-year-old owns a career .815 OPS in MiLB, flashing some real offensive prowess from the left side of the plate.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: