TORONTO -- Just as the Blue Jays were building another rally on Saturday against the A’s, the air was sucked out of Rogers Centre when Daulton Varsho went down with a left leg injury. The early diagnosis is “left hamstring discomfort.”
Varsho launched a deep shot to left field that hit the top of the wall, just inches short of giving the Blue Jays back-to-back home runs after George Springer went yard. Varsho made an aggressive turn around second base to try for the triple but pulled up halfway there, immediately grabbing the back of his left leg.
Although Varsho’s momentum carried him the rest of the way, he was tagged out and immediately went down near the bag, where the Blue Jays’ trainer rushed out to tend to him. Known as one of the toughest players on the roster, Varsho didn’t stay down long, but he still needed help getting off the field and went immediately to the clubhouse.
The backdrop of Saturday’s 8-7 win only added to the difficulty of losing Varsho. The Blue Jays have erupted for 31 runs over their last three games and won four straight. They just launched four home runs, including two from Springer. There’s a newfound sense of life around this ballclub, another high in a season of ups and downs.
“It sucks,” said Springer, who is close with Varsho. “I’ve been in that position before. I know what’s going on in his head. To lose a guy like him, he’s so valuable to us with the stuff he can do. Any time you see that, your heart hurts for him.”
The injury is a gut punch to the Blue Jays and the timing is particularly cruel, given how the season started for Varsho.
Last September, Varsho underwent surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his right shoulder, which is a significant procedure. It’s something we more often associate with pitchers, but Varsho’s rehab process took the entire offseason and kept him out for the first month of 2025 as he built up his throwing arm again, which was the biggest hurdle of all. Since Varsho has been back in the lineup, though, he’s suddenly been reborn as a power hitter.
Varsho has launched eight home runs in just 24 games, and although he wasn’t hitting for average yet, it felt like we were beginning to see him shift his offensive identity -- that natural power on top of his defense in center, which is elite.
Varsho is coming off his first career Gold Glove Award in 2024, but he carries the reputation across baseball of a player with a few more of those on the mantle.
“This is tough. He plays the game one way,” manager John Schneider said. “I think it took the energy out of the game a bit and George’s second homer brought it back to life. It’s tough. Varsho is about as well-liked [a player] as there is in the game. Everyone in there is feeling for him, for sure.”
The Blue Jays will need to immediately fill this gap, a plan that should look fairly similar to April’s.
Nathan Lukes will surely see some time in center field as he continues to earn more opportunities while Myles Straw, who took over in center for Varsho on Saturday, will be out there for certain pitching matchups. The Blue Jays also have No. 5 prospect Alan Roden back with the big club, and although Roden struggled in his MLB debut earlier this season, he raked in Triple-A after being optioned and still has the trust of the organization to earn another long look. That door just swung back open for Roden, who will face plenty of right-handed pitching.
There’s no silver lining around this, though, as Varsho is one of the most important players on the roster and one of the most beloved teammates in the clubhouse.
“To lose him will be tough. It will be hard. I hurt for him,” Springer said. “Our whole staff does and our team will, but he’ll be back.”