Blue Jays' Addison Barger: Shielded from Rule 5 draft

Barger was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Barger vaulted up Toronto's prospect list in 2022 and has now been protected from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old began last season with High-A Vancouver and worked his way up to Triple-A Buffalo by mid-September. He went 10-for-32 with two home runs during his brief stint at Triple-A and had a .933 OPS for the season.