Toronto Blue Jays: Which players could return to the lineup soon?

There’s no sugarcoating it, it’s been a tough start to the season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

With key players like Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios already expected to miss the start of the year, things have only gone from bad to worse.

Some of the walking wounded added to the injured list since Opening Day include impact pieces like George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger.

With all that in mind, let’s put the doom and gloom aside and take a look at how close some of these players are to returning to the Blue Jays.

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Addison Barger

Injury: Left Ankle sprain

Added to injured list: April 7

Timeline: Addison Barger is out of a walking boot, but hasn’t begun ramping up to a return to game action. Manager John Schneider is hopeful Barger will miss the minimum 10 days. He is first eligible to return Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

What happens until his return: Nathan Lukes, Jesus Sanchez, Myles Straw and Davis Schneider have been rotating throughout the outfield.

Trey Yesavage

Injury: Right shoulder pain

Added to injured list: At start of season

Timeline: Trey Yesavage is the closest pitcher to returning. He is scheduled to make one more minor league rehab start this week and he could re-join the Blue Jays as early as next week.

What happens until his return: Toronto signed veteran Patrick Corbin to carry some of the load as the injury-riddled rotation gets healthier.

George Springer

Injury: Broken left big toe

Added to injured list: April 12

Timeline: George Springer told reporters he would have stayed in Saturday’s game against Minnesota, but he was pulled by the team when the fracture in his toe was discovered. Springer’s return will likely come down to pain tolerance over the next couple of weeks.

What happens until his return: Eloy Jimenez had his contract added to the active roster on Sunday. He is expected to be one of multiple DH’s filling in until Springer’s return.

Jose Berrios

Injury: Stress fracture in right elbow

Added to injured list: At start of season

Timeline: Jose Berrios is reportedly making progress, although he is likely a couple of weeks away from returning to the majors. He has begun throwing live batting practice and he is scheduled for a rehab assignment next week with a target of 50 pitches.

What happens until his return: Corbin and Eric Lauer will continue to draw starts with Berrios and others on the shelf.

Yimi Garcia

Injury: Right elbow surgery

Added to injured list: At start of season

Timeline: Yimi Garcia is throwing off the mound, but hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. However, Garcia is a reliever, so his ramp up to game action could be quicker.

What happens until his return: Spencer Miles and Joe Mantiply have regular pitched in Garcia’s absence.

Alejandro Kirk

Injury: Broken left thumb

Added to injured list: April 4

Timeline: Alejandro Kirk’s recovery timeline after surgery is six weeks. That puts his targeted return date around the middle of May.

What happens until his return: Regular backup catcher Tyler Heineman and rookie Brandon Valenzuela have split reps in Kirk’s absence. Valenzuela just hit his first career home run over the weekend.

Shane Bieber

Injury: Right elbow inflammation

Added to injured list: At start of season

Timeline: Shane Bieber has been throwing off the mound, but he hasn’t started a rehab assignment. He’ll have to undergo more tests and it’s expected he’ll re-join the Blue Jays about a month after he begins pitching in the minor leagues.

What happens until his return: The late signing of Max Scherzer was likely a direct result of Bieber’s slow ramp up. Bieber’s return is still too far away to be an immediate threat to anyone currently in the rotation.