The Blue Jays’ 2027 outlook could look a whole lot brighter if a handful of injured players come back on schedule, but one name sits above the rest: Addison Barger.
Toronto spent 2026 dealing with a wave of injuries that wiped out key pieces of the roster, and some of those absences stretched across the entire season. That left fans wondering what the team might have been with a healthier lineup. Now, with several of those players expected back at some point in 2027, the Blue Jays have a chance to get real value from reinforcements that were mostly missing a year ago.
Barger is the headliner. After breaking out in 2025, he was supposed to keep climbing and cement himself as one of Toronto’s top players.
Instead, injuries limited the 26-year-old to just nine games in 2026, where he managed only two RBIs. The Blue Jays are fully expecting him to be ready for spring training next year, and they see him continuing to develop into an elite player as he moves deeper into his prime.
That matters because Toronto can survive missing pitching more easily than it can replace a bat like Barger’s. The club showed in 2026 that it can piece together arms over the course of a 162-game season, but a middle-of-the-order hitter entering his prime is a different kind of loss.
The rest of the injured group carries plenty of intrigue, too. Jake Bloss has barely been able to get traction in his Blue Jays tenure, with Tommy John surgery in 2025 followed by a right teres major shoulder strain in 2026. That stretch has limited him to 17 starts over the last two years in the organization’s minor league system, and the 25-year-old right-hander still has to prove he’s put the injury trouble behind him.
Bowden Francis had looked like he had a rotation spot locked down after his strong finish to 2024, but 2025 was a struggle and 2026 ended with Tommy John surgery. His return won’t come quickly; he’s not expected back until at least midway through 2027.
José Berríos is in a similar spot. He was trying to get back into the starting mix in 2026 after falling out of favor late in 2025, but Tommy John surgery wiped out his season. Based on the recovery timeline, he could be back in the latter half of 2027.
Anthony Santander’s situation has been frustrating for a different reason. Toronto gave him a five-year deal before the 2025 season, but injuries have kept him on the field for just 54 games across two seasons.
When he did play, the production didn’t come close to matching expectations: a .175 average, a .565 OPS, six home runs and 18 RBIs. Even so, a healthy Santander should still help a Blue Jays offense that badly lacked power in 2026.
Then there’s Cody Ponce, whose season ended almost as soon as it began. An ACL injury in his first start forced Toronto to scramble for rotation help all year. He’ll get a shot to win a rotation job in camp, but even if that doesn’t happen, he could still land in the bullpen and serve as a useful swingman.
Still, Barger is the one who changes the equation the most. Toronto has options on the mound. A healthy Barger gives the Blue Jays something tougher to find: a young, versatile impact bat ready to return from the first day of spring training.
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