Daulton Varsho gave John Schneider a scare Tuesday, but the Blue Jays sound like they avoided another outfield problem.
That alone counts as good news for Toronto. Varsho slammed into the center-field wall trying to take away an extra-base hit, the kind of play that can change a game and a roster in the same breath.
-
Schneider said afterward that Varsho is «good,» which is exactly what this club needed to hear after so many recent injury headaches.
The manager also added, «I love the way he went about that,» and that part fits Varsho perfectly. He does not ease into plays in center. He attacks them.
You could see it on the field. Varsho raced back, tracked the ball cleanly, and crashed into the wall as he finished the play, never backing off the route.
-
That is why the update matters beyond one moment. Toronto can live with bruises and soreness. It could not afford another real absence from one of its best defenders.
Varsho only returned on April 29 after starting the season on the injured list following right shoulder surgery, so any collision like this is going to raise the temperature in the dugout.
Toronto needs Varsho's glove in the lineup
This is where Schneider's reaction says plenty. He was not just relieved that Varsho came out of it OK. He also made it clear he respected how aggressively his center fielder handled the chance.
That makes sense when you look at the player. Schneider has already called Varsho the best outfielder in baseball, and the Blue Jays have spent the last 2 seasons watching him erase damage in the gaps and at the wall.
Toronto's defense changes when he is out there. Even in a season interrupted by injuries, Varsho returned from the IL and immediately reminded people what kind of ground he can cover in center.
That is why Tuesday's collision felt heavier than a normal hard play. The Blue Jays are already short on margin, and losing Varsho again would have forced another reshuffle in both the outfield and the lineup.
Instead, Schneider got to deliver the kind of update every manager wants after a wall crash. Not a scan. Not a shutdown. Just a player who is «good» and expected to keep moving forward.
For Toronto, that is enough. Daulton Varsho went full speed into the wall, made the play, and walked out of the night without turning one defensive gem into the Blue Jays' next injury problem.
Should Daulton Varsho keep playing this aggressively in center field?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Blue Jays looking to make worrying changes to rotation involving Kevin Gausman
