Daulton Varsho gave John Schneider another Blue Jays injury scare Friday, leaving the Orioles game with left wrist discomfort.
Toronto said Varsho came out before his second at-bat, and Yohendrick Piñango hit for him in the fourth inning.
The first sign showed up in the first inning. Sportsnet reported that Varsho shook out his left hand on two swings, then grounded out in his only plate appearance.
He stayed in center field for a bit, which made it look manageable at first. Then Toronto still pulled him before the lineup turned back over, which tells you the discomfort was enough to shut it down fast.
That lands harder because the Blue Jays opened the night at 30-33, the same record as Baltimore, with very little room for another everyday player to come off the lineup card.
Varsho's bat has mattered, too. After that lone at-bat Friday, he sat at .256/.331/.408 with 5 home runs, numbers that still make him one of Toronto's more useful regulars.
The other part is the glove. Varsho had already started 57 games in center field this season, so the Blue Jays were not just replacing a cleanup hitter when he walked off.
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Toronto can't afford another everyday hit
The club's injury page now lists Varsho's expected return as TBD, with further updates still coming. That keeps this from feeling like a throwaway in-game swap.
It also drops onto a roster that is already waiting on help. Alejandro Kirk is still building up on rehab assignment, and Addison Barger is still hitting and throwing in Florida as he works back from his elbow issue.
This is not even Varsho's first in-game health scare of the season. He also left an April game with left knee discomfort, though Toronto avoided a longer absence that time.
Piñango can cover a plate appearance. Replacing Varsho's range in center is a different ask, especially for a club that had scored 257 runs through 63 games and has needed value from every playable lane in the lineup.
John Schneider now waits on the next update and hopes this dies down quickly. The Blue Jays are already chasing ground in the AL East, and another everyday issue is the last thing this group needs.
For one night, Toronto had to keep moving without Daulton Varsho. If the wrist discomfort fades fast, the Blue Jays can breathe again. If it does not, this turns into a real problem in a hurry.
Will Daulton Varsho miss more than a few days?
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