Barger will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Whether Barger needs a full Tommy John repair or an internal brace procedure will not be known until the surgery is performed. If it's the former, he could get a late start to next season following a nine-month rehab. An internal brace operation carries a timetable of six months, which would give Barger a chance to be ready around the start of spring training. Barger will conclude the 2026 season having played only nine games due to injury, as he battled a stress reaction in his back in addition to the elbow injury.