The Toronto Blue Jays are back from the All-Star break, and with their return comes a major slew of injury updates ahead of Friday’s series opener versus the Chicago White Sox.

Speaking to reporters pre-game, manager John Schneider provided the latest information on Max Scherzer, Jesús Sánchez, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Yimi García and Lenyn Sosa — covering almost every player currently on the injured list.

Suffice to say, it ended up being one of the longest meetings in his office of the 2026 season. So, let’s unpack it all.

Previously, Scherzer was scheduled to make a rehab start — his third since beginning a rehab assignment on July 3 with high-A Vancouver — in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday. But that outing was wiped out after he received three cortisone injections in his right thumb the day prior.

The 41-year-old starter, who’ll turn 42 later this month, returned to Toronto following his Triple-A rehab start on July 8 and felt discomfort in that thumb while throwing. As of now, the goal is to have him back throwing this weekend, possibly off a mound, and they’ll take things from there.

If you’re counting at home, Scherzer’s cortisone injection total is now up to six on the year between his thumb, forearm and back. He’ll need to ramp back up before resuming his rehab assignment, which has now been paused indefinitely.

There’s a decent chance we could see Sánchez rejoin the Blue Jays’ roster before the end of July.

The 28-year-old outfielder spent the All-Star break continuing to progress from a left ankle sprain at the organization’s player development complex in Dunedin, Fla. He’s scheduled to hit live BP on Saturday and plans to start running the bases next week. After that, if all goes well, next up will likely be rehab games at Single-A.

Sánchez has been sidelined since June 26 after injuring his ankle while crashing into the left-field wall at Rogers Centre against the Texas Rangers.

On a more disappointing note, Barger still has yet to resume baseball activities at the PDC and remains without a clear recovery plan moving forward, as the Blue Jays continue to re-evaluate the outfielder’s injured right elbow and the stress reaction fracture in his back.

Because of how much time he’s missed already, the 26-year-old will essentially be starting from scratch when he’s cleared to begin throwing and swinging again. Until then, things will remain at a standstill.

There’s still a belief that Barger can return at some point later this season.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before… Santander has hit a snag with his injured left shoulder.

The 31-year-old, on the 60-day IL while recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum, will be down from baseball activities for 5-7 days after receiving a cortisone injection in his left shoulder on Tuesday. He had been experiencing discomfort during defensive work at the PDC, which prompted a recent visit with Dr. Keith Meister over the break.

Santander, who hadn’t begun any hitting drills before this latest setback, will look to resume his build-up towards starting a hitting progression in the next week or so — should his shoulder be pain-free, that is.

García has been given the green light to throw live BP on Saturday at the PDC, according to Schneider. His rehab had been paused for several weeks due to biceps soreness, causing the veteran reliever to travel back to Toronto to meet with doctors.

But now it appears the 35-year-old is on the other side of that issue and can begin a throwing progression. This means we’re back to the live BP and bullpen sessions stage of his recovery — his most recent Triple-A appearance was on June 18 — which has felt like a revolving door ever since spring training.

Sosa is back at the PDC after experiencing a recent setback in his return from a right wrist contusion. The 26-year-old, who played three rehab games in Florida late last month, paused his rehab assignment to attend to family matters following the horrific earthquake in Venezuela. But he’s since begun a hitting progression, taking swings in the batting cages.

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