Toronto Blue Jays Send Down Top Prospect on Friday After Brief MLB Stay

As the Toronto Blue Jays head into the weekend, they've optioned top prospect Addison Barger down to Triple-A.

Apr 24, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger (47) loses his / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

As the Toronto Blue Jays get ready for a weekend series with the Washington Nationals, they've sent down top prospect Addison Barger to Triple-A.

Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com on social media:

The #BlueJays have called up OF Nathan Lukes and optioned 3B/OF Addison Barger to Triple-A.

The #BlueJays have called up OF Nathan Lukes and optioned 3B/OF Addison Barger to Triple-A.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) May 3, 2024

Barger, who is currently the No. 6 prospect in the organization, played in five games for the Jays during this stint, hitting just .056. He was 1-for-18.

Barger was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the Florida high school ranks. He is a .264 career hitter in the minors with 61 homers. He hit .314 in 19 Triple-A games this year prior to his call-up.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile, which suggests that we haven't seen the last of him in Toronto this year:

His defensive profile now is third base and right field, where his throwing arm can really shine. Barger will always be a pull-power hitter, but got too pull-happy at times in 2023, so a slightly more balanced approach could open up another level of his game. The talent is there for Barger to bring a jolt of energy to the big league club at any point in 2024.

Lukes is a 29-year-old who has 26 career at-bats. He's a .192 hitter who debuted with the Blue Jays in 2023. He is not in the Top 30 prospects for Toronto, per MLB.com.

The Blue Jays and Nationals play at 6:45 p.m. ET.

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