Addison Barger Is First Toronto Blue Jays Player Since 1979 To Accomplish This Feat
The Toronto Blue Jays made a surprising roster move ahead of their series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Friday.
After activating outfielder Nathan Lukes off the paternity list, instead of optioning the recently-promoted Addison Barger back to Triple-A Buffalo, they decided to send Davis Schneider to the farm instead.
While Barger's presence has left much to be desired from an offensive standpoint, going hitless in 11 at-bats that included Friday's contest, his defensive presence was felt in a major way.
The 25-year-old had three outfield assists, throwing out Cal Raleigh at second base in the fourth frame before later being involved in an inning-ending rundown that took place between third base and home plate. For his final act, he easily threw out Rowdy Tellez at third after the slugger tried to advance on a fly ball.
Those three assists stamped Barger a place in team history.
Per Ian Harrison of WFTV 9, Barger is just the third Blue Jays player ever to have that many assists in a single game, joining Steve Bowling (1977) and Rick Bosetti (1979) to accomplish this feat.
It's an impressive showing from the youngster who is looking to carve out a role for himself.
Selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, he made his Major League debut last season and got into 69 games, struggling at the plate with a .197/.250/.351 and seven homers and 28 RBI.
Those offensive issues have carried over into his threee contests this year, but if he can continue providing this kind of defense, he'll make Toronto's decision difficult when Daulton Varsho eventually comes back and the front office has to figure out who they are going to send to the minors.
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