The 26-year-old slugger crushed a two-run shot for the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays on Sunday in his first game action since April 5.
Barger also walked and grounded out in three plate appearances before David Beckles pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning.
He was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain on April 7. The left-handed hitting-slugger exited that early-April game against the Chicago White Sox with bilateral ankle discomfort while attempting to leg out an infield single.
Prior to his injury, Barger had yet to replicate his success from last season in the early going, logging just one hit in 19 at-bats.
Barger broke out for the Blue Jays in 2025 with 21 home runs, 74 RBIs and an .756 OPS. He added three homers, drove in nine runs and posted a 1.025 OPS during Toronto’s run to the World Series, including the first-ever pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
Meanwhile, José Berríos continued to struggle as he works his way back from injury.
The veteran right-hander allowed seven runs — including three long balls — over 3.2 innings in his fourth rehab start, and second with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, on Sunday.
New York Yankees’ No. 6 prospect Spencer Jones did most of the damage by crushing a centre-cut 90-m.p.h. sinker from Berríos for a grand slam in the fourth that ended the starter’s day.
Berríos averaged 92.2 m.p.h. with his fastball slightly up from the 91.9 m.p.h. he averaged on Tuesday. However, the diminished velocity continued a concerning trend that arose last season, when Berríos averaged 92.5 m.p.h. with his heater.
Berríos averaged between 93.6 and 94 m.p.h. in each of the previous three seasons.
Berríos had said that “Physically, I’ve been feeling great,” and told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith on April 26 that he could be set for an MLB return if his third rehab start goes well.
The Blue Jays ultimately opted for him to have a fourth minor-league outing, and the team will now have to balance their need for healthy starting pitching with Berríos’s struggles.