An important step is coming for the Toronto Blue Jays to get back one of their impactful outfielders.
It seems like the Toronto Blue Jays could be getting back an important part of their roster soon.
According to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Daulton Varsho “should get into rehab games in the next few days,” meaning his return to the Blue Jays shouldn’t be too far behind.
His estimated return is sometime in mid-July, so it’s unclear if he’ll be activated off the injured list before or after the upcoming All-Star break.
Varsho has been on the 10-day IL since June 1 with a left hamstring strain, something he suffered when rounding second to push for an extra base.
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It’s been an injury-plagued stretch for the elite defender, with him needing offseason shoulder surgery this past winter after he was placed on the injured list in September of last year, a procedure that caused him to begin this season on the IL and not be activated until April 29.
Then, almost a month later, he was placed back on the shelf.
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Varsho has become a key part of Toronto’s outfield since they acquired him back in December 2022, winning the Gold Glove Award last year and being worth an absurd plus-48 defensive runs saved and 30 outs above average during three seasons with the Blue Jays.
While his bat hasn’t quite translated from his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks — putting up an OPS+ and wRC+ below the league average — his ability to hit for power has become a real weapon.
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Hopefully Varsho can stay on the field when he eventually comes back.
Even though his 24-game sample size this year is small, his 8.0% home run rate, 17.2% barrel rate and 40.6% hard hit rate are all the highest of his career, which could be a sign that the veteran outfielder is ready to breakout at the plate.
That will only happen if everything goes smoothly during his rehab stint.