Outfielder Addison Barger is slated to fly back to Toronto to meet with Blue Jays teammates and personnel before heading out on a rehab assignment, manager John Schneider revealed on Wednesday.

Previously, the belief was that Barger might be able to start his rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin on Thursday. But those plans have now been delayed by a day or two, depending on when the 26-year-old arrives at Rogers Centre. This will be an opportunity for both parties to check in and map out a rehab timeline.

Schneider stressed that Barger didn’t endure “a setback or anything like that,” adding that the club wants to have an “in-person feel of how he’s doing” rather than conducting that meeting virtually from Florida.

Over the last few weeks, Barger has progressed with both his hitting and throwing down at the player development complex in Dunedin. He’s been taking swings regularly off the Trajekt pitching machine of late and building back up since returning to the 10-day injured list on May 10.

Schneider did mention, though, that “some soreness has kind of crept in” to Barger’s injured right elbow while hitting recently. But it hasn’t had much impact on his throwing thus far.

Some mild discomfort is to be expected for someone with an aggressive, vicious swing like Barger’s. That’s something they’ll likely have to continue monitoring during the early stages of his rehab assignment. But as long as it doesn’t worsen or begin impacting him in the field — the origin of his current IL stint — there shouldn’t be too much to worry about here.

The Blue Jays haven’t announced how many at-bats Barger will require before being ready to return from the IL, though it’s reasonable to assume that — considering his absence is going on almost two months — it’ll probably last a week or two. He’ll start in Dunedin before the organization likely shifts his rehab to Buffalo — and then it’ll be back to Toronto, possibly before next month’s All-Star break.

Reinserting his left-handed power stroke back into the mix sometime soon will present a massive boost for the Blue Jays’ lineup, which, to this point, has only had him for nine games in 2026.

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