Biography
Addison Barger (born November 12, 1999) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Career
Barger attended C. Leon King High School in Tampa, Florida. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut that season with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, recording a .194 batting average, three home runs, and 18 runs batted in (RBI). Barger played 2019 with the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, hitting .283 with two home runs and eight RBI in 13 games.
Barger did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in 2021 to play for the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays and High-A Vancouver Canadians, where he hit .244 with 18 home runs and 82 RBI in 96 games. He started 2022 with Vancouver before being promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and later briefly to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. In a career-high 124 games, Barger recorded a .308 batting average, 26 home runs, and 91 RBI. In the offseason, he played 16 games for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.
On November 15, 2022, the Blue Jays added Barger to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Barger was optioned to the Bisons to begin the 2023 season. In 94 total games that season, he hit .247 with nine home runs and 47 RBI. Barger was again optioned to Triple–A Buffalo to begin the 2024 season.
On April 24, 2024, Barger was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Kevin Kiermaier was placed on the injured list. Barger collected his first major league hit on April 29 against the Kansas City Royals. On July 29, he hit his first MLB home run in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. In 69 appearances for the Blue Jays during his rookie campaign, Barger batted .197/.250/.351 with seven home runs, 28 RBI, and two stolen bases.
Barger was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2025 season.
Personal life
Barger has a daughter and newborn son.