logo
Addison Barger should continue to get regular playing time with the Blue Jays when Andres Gimenez returns
alt
Photo credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 13, 2025, 19:00 EDTUpdated: May 13, 2025, 11:15 EDT
Comments
Coming into the season, the Toronto Blue Jays needed one of their young players to emerge this season.
A month and a half into the season, it looks like they’ve gotten just that from Addison Barger. Since Andres Gimenez was injured on May 7, Barger has had increased playing time, and he’s made the most of it.
In Barger’s last five games, he has a five-game hitting streak while slashing .444/.590/.778, with three doubles and a home run. These aren’t flukey extra-base hits, as Barger is absolutely scorching the ball during this stretch, posting an average exit velocity of 102 mph on balls hit in play. This has been a trend since the 25-year-old was called up. Don’t believe me? Take a look at his Baseball Savant page.
The big question when Gimenez returns is whether or not Barger will get consistent playing time. There are two positions where Barger could realistically play when the Blue Jays’ position players return to the lineup.

Third base

It feels as if the Blue Jays have been searching for a permanent solution to their third base position since Josh Donaldson was traded. First, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was given significant playing time there in 2019. Travis Shaw and Joe Panik played the bulk of the hot corner in 2020, and Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal played the bulk of third base in 2021. The Jays finally found a short-term solution to the hot corner for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, acquiring Matt Chapman from the Oakland Athletics.
However, Chapman signed elsewhere after the 2023 season, and third base is once again in limbo. Ernie Clement was their main third baseman in 2024, earning a Gold Glove nomination while hitting a career-high 12 home runs, but his bat is a little light for the position, and he’s best served as a super utility player.
Coming into the 2025 season, Clement started the season as the Jays’ primary third baseman in a platoon role with Will Wagner. Since Gimenez’s injury, Clement has shifted to second base. Since the start of May, Barger has appeared in nine games, with eight of those games being at third base. Barger has started four consecutive games at third base since May 8.
It’s a limited sample size, but Barger has put up good defensive numbers in his 59.1 innings at the hot corner this season. He has 1 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average, while being perfect in the field. Last season, Barger had a -5 OAA, so there’s been some improvement so far this season.
Barger has a strong arm, which is helpful at third base. Both Clement and Wagner can make those throws, but Barger’s arm is in a separate category altogether. Paired with insane exit velocities, Barger is the prototypical third baseman.

Right field

With that being said, Barger’s arm also plays in right field. In just 67 innings in right field this season, Barger has already thrown out four base runners, with three of those coming in the same game, matching a Blue Jays’ single-game franchise record. 
There are nine players with four or more outfield assists this season, only three of whom (Steven Kwan, Tyler O’Neill, and Dane Myers) have more than Barger. Of the nine players, the player with the next fewest outfield innings played is O’Neill with 161. Barger is throwing out runners at an insane clip, to the point where opponents will be scared to take the extra base when Barger is patrolling right field.
Playing Barger in right field would essentially move Anthony Santander to a full-time designated hitter role, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as he was brought in to hit home runs, not play defence. With Barger in right field, the Jays have a strong defensive outfield of George Springer in left, Daulton Varsho in centre, and Barger in right.
That said, there are also counterarguments as to why Barger shouldn’t be their full-time right fielder. The biggest among them is that the Jays have a lot of outfielders on the 26-man roster. Springer and Varsho have already been mentioned, but the Jays also currently have Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, and Jonatan Clase on the roster.
Aside from a couple of base running blunders early in the season, Lukes has been a perfect bench bat, slashing .279/.384/.410 with two home runs in 74 plate appearances for a 133 wRC+ and a 0.3 fWAR. Myles Straw is also having one of his best seasons to date, hitting a home run (his seventh career homer) and batting .284 overall and .273 with runners in scoring position. Clase is likely the player who’ll be optioned when Gimenez returns, but that still gives the Jays six outfielders when counting Barger.

So where does Barger fit when Gimenez returns

Barger works best as the everyday third baseman until he proves otherwise. With significant raw power and a terrific arm, he has the makings of a third baseman. Barger playing third base would shift Ernie Clement to a super utility role, where’s best suited.
Moreover, Barger playing third base gives the Jays one less outfielder to give playing time to. It also frees up their designated hitter spot, as Santander wouldn’t become the full-time DH in this scenario.
With that being said, the Jays have to let Barger play, because the sky is the limit for the 25-year-old.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News