Assuming that Pittsburgh Pirates veteran Tommy Pham intends to play in 2026, we have this gut feeling that he won’t be playing for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Only hours after inciting a benches-clearing brawl against the Blue Jays on Monday night, Pham took to social media and ripped Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman and second-year third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger. Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson relayed a quote from Heineman, who told reporters that Pham’s actions were “unprovoked and super weird.”
“I don’t even know him,” Heineman said. “No idea. Barely know who he is.”
The drama began in the bottom of the seventh inning on Monday night, when Pham flipped his bat after taking a four-pitch walk. Heineman, who was behind the plate, objected, leading to a heated exchange.
Benches cleared in Pittsburgh after Tommy Pham bat flipped a walk, but cooler heads prevailed pic.twitter.com/wLkuXZJj7u
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 19, 2025
Heineman’s postgame comments soon caught Pham’s attention, and the 12-year vet responded to Matheson’s X/Twitter post nearly an hour later.
“[Expletive] about a ball not being called a strike to the umpire when it’s clearly below the zone and away is disrespectful not only to the umpire but the hitter as well,” Pham wrote. “So like I said when I flipped the bat, [expletive] him.”
But somehow, that was just the beginning of the fireworks.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Tommy Pham accused Addison Barger of taking steroids
Things quickly escalated from there when Pham began arguing with Blue Jays fans on social media, using profanity in various responses. The problem isn’t so much Pham’s language as it is what he was saying, especially when discussing other Blue Jays players.
One Blue Jays fan told the 37-year-old Pham to “just retire and start a family.” The X user’s profile pic featured Barger, and Pham went all-in.
“Your profile pic is of someone who takes steroids, loser,” Pham wrote in a since-deleted post.
Pham’s comments aren’t entirely incorrect, as TSN reported in 2023 that Barger served a PED suspension in 2019. However, the key term there is “takes,” not “took.” There is no proof that Barger is using steroids or any performance-enhancing drug, nor has he tested positive since his MLB debut last April.
Neither Major League Baseball nor the Pirates had commented on Pham’s social media posts as of publication.
Very rarely do we see professional athletes, at least among the four major sports, publicly accuse each other of using performance-enhancing drugs. Referencing the suspension is one thing, but to publicly imply that Barger is still using PEDs is incredibly dangerous and problematic.
Monday’s social media kerfuffle isn’t Pham’s first issue with fans; he served a one-game suspension and received an undisclosed fine after making an obscene gesture at a Los Angeles Angels fan in April. The fan in question touched Pham while he pursued a ball in the left field corner at Angel Stadium.
Toronto and Pittsburgh continue their three-game series on Tuesday night. We’ll see whether Pham’s issues with the Blue Jays spill over when both teams arrive at PNC Park.