Blue Jays announce pair of surprising roster moves ahead of Guardians series

With the recent promotion of Spencer Horwitz and trade of Cavan Biggio, the Toronto Blue Jays have been busy shuffling their big league roster around. In a surprising announcement, the Jays took to social media (X link) to confirm even more roster moves.

Designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach has been designated for assignment and his second tenure in Toronto has likely come to a close. Young prospect Addison Barger has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move and will be active for the start of the upcoming series against the Guardians.

Vogelbach, 31, has been a popular figure in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse and it’s clear that the organization tried their hardest to hold on to him for as long as they could. But the fact remains that he’s defensively limited and simply hasn’t been hitting the way the club needs him to this year.

The nine-year veteran appeared in 31 games prior to his DFA, hitting one home run with eight RBI, a .186 average and .578 OPS. No matter which way you look at it, he just wasn’t providing the production the Blue Jays needed. With the team just barely clinging to contention, it’s easy to see why they wanted to see if the power hitter would turn it around, but his time has run out.

Barger, Jays Journal’s No. 4 prospect prior to the 2024 campaign, is going to get his second crack at big league playing time. The 24-year-old went 1-for-18 with a run scored in his first go-round, but has performed much better for the Bisons down in Triple-A.

In 50 games for the Bisons, Barger has hit eight home runs, driven in 34 runs and scored 36 more. He’s got a .256 batting average and an impressive. 846 OPS. His ability to line up all around the infield and the outfield corners boosts his value and he’ll likely replace Biggio’s role on this active roster.