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Addison Barger of the Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are facing a roster crunch with the imminent return of third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger.

Barger has been out of the Blue Jays’ lineup since early April, when he injured his ankle running to first base against the Chicago White Sox. He was put on the IL with a left ankle sprain after that, meaning the Blue Jays lost one of their top hitters just a week into the season.

With Barger and several other Blue Jays players out of the lineup, the team has struggled so far this season, holding a poor 16-21 record as of May 7. Fortunately, Barger is finally ready to make his comeback to the Blue Jays’ lineup, as he is set to be activated from the IL and return to the Blue Jays on Friday night when they open their three-game series at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

But before they can officially activate Barger, the Blue Jays have a tough decision to make.

Blue Jays Have a Difficult Decision to Make

The Blue Jays’ 26-man roster is full, so the squad will have to send one of their hitters down to Triple-A Buffalo or potentially DFA someone before they activate Barger. According to Blue Jays manager John Schneider, the team has a “tough” decision to make.

“We’re looking at what everyone’s doing, looking at how we’re going to use everyone. It’ll be tough for sure,” Schneider said (via Sportsnet).

Taking a look at the Blue Jays’ roster, the most obvious solution would be to send down either Davis Schneider or Yohendrick Pinango, as both players have minor-league options remaining. But it’s not that easy.

After all, Schneider has been with the Blue Jays’ big-league roster for several years, and he proved his worth last season during the team’s run to the World Series. Though they ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Schneider had several big hits for the team during that series, and he is also an important part of the Blue Jays’ clubhouse. So while his .558 OPS this season is certainly disappointing and has him potentially on the verge of being sent down, it’s not as easy a decision as it seems.

As for Pinango, he has hit .400 in the nine games since he was called up from Buffalo. For a team in desperate need of offense, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to send down Pinango right now. But because he has options, Pinango might get the short end of the stick.

Lenyn Sosa Could Be DFAd

If Schneider or Pinango isn’t optioned back to Buffalo, then the other obvious option is to DFA infielder Lenyn Sosa, whom the team acquired last month in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.

In 15 games for the Blue Jays, Sosa has not hit well, with just a .633 OPS. He also doesn’t have the clubhouse ties that Schneider does, nor the high potential that Pinango does. So, on paper, it makes the most sense to cut him loose based on his play so far this year.

But Pinango also hit 22 home runs for the White Sox last year, and he also has no options remaining, meaning the Blue Jays would have to DFA him if they want Barger to take his spot on the roster. If the Blue Jays are worried that they might lose him to another team, then they might decide the juice is not worth the squeeze and keep him up on the big-league roster instead, despite his poor performance so far with the team.

The Blue Jays have a big decision to make, and on Friday, we’ll find out what they do.