Blue Jays News: Addison Barger called up, Nathan Lukes to paternity list

For the first time since Opening Day, the Blue Jays have made a roster move involving a position player.

On Tuesday, the team announced that utility infielder Addison Barger had been called up from Triple-A to take the roster spot of Nathan Lukes, who was placed on the paternity list.

Blue Jays call up Addison Barger amid roster shuffle

This will be Barger's first MLB action this season after he hit .197 in 69 games. He hit seven home runs with 28 RBI while seeing action at third base, left field and right field.

Barger will play right field today and hit in the seventh spot in the lineup.

Last year Barger had two seperate stints on the Blue Jays roster. He got his first MLB call-up in April and played in five games before being sent down to Triple-A again.

He got called up again in the middle of June and stayed on the Jays' roster for the rest of the season.

Barger was hitting .11 (8-for-38) this season in 12 games at Triple-A this season, and saw time at third base, shortstop, left field and right field.

Barger's entering a Blue Jays' lineup that's a bit all over the place. While the Blue Jays are playing well, they're working their way through a power outage.

Barger has a decent amount of power (career .460 MiLB slugging) and the Jays' lineup would benefit from him finding his power stroke.

He might not be in Toronto long depending on how long Lukes stays on the paternity list, but the fact was the first minor league position player to get a call-up is telling.

Lukes has gone 4-for-24 (.167) this season in 12 games with three RBI, four walks and four strikeouts. He's mostly played in center field this season.

Here's how the rest of the Blue Jays will line up today around Barger.

Probable starting pitchers

Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.33 ERA, 14 K) vs. Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.45 ERA, 19 K)

Gausman's coming off an incredible start where he allowed one unearned run in eight innings in an extra innings win over the Red Sox.

Gausman's gone at least five innings in all three of his starts, and has thrown at least 87 pitches in all of his starts.

Matt Olson is the lone player on the Braves roster to have double-digit at-bats against Gausman, and he's hitting .231 with one home run in 13 at-bats.

That said, Guasman's had success against the Braves in his career. He has a 2.29 ERA in 19 2/3 career innings against Atlanta.

He'll go against Schwellenbach, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball at the start of the season.

After having a 3.35 ERA in 123 2/3 innings last year, Schwellenbach has allowed just one run over his first three starts. He opened the season by tossing 14 scoreless innings across his first two starts of the year before giving up a run against the Phillies his last time out.

Batters have been able to put balls in play against his fastball (batters are hitting .286 against the pitch this year), but his slider (.040), split finger (.167) and curveball (.000) have been practically unhittable this year.

Toronto Blue Jays starting lineup, April 14

• 1. SS Bo Bichette
• 2. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• 3. DH Anthony Santander
• 4. 2B Andrés Giménez
• 5. C Alejandro Kirk
• 6. 3B Will Wagner
• 7. RF Addison Barger
• 8. CF Myles Straw
• 9. LF Alan Roden

Barger is at the bottom of the lineup with the rest of the Blue Jays' outfield. Straw smashed his first home run of the season yesterday so it's good to see him get another start in the outfield, while Roden is starting for the fourth straight game.

Outside of that, the Blue Jays lineup is pretty much the same as it's been all year. Wagner's at third again instead of Ernie Clement, but everyone else in the lineup is where they normally are.