Daulton Varsho gave John Schneider the good part first Friday night: the Blue Jays outfielder's wrist X-rays came back negative.
That does not mean Toronto got a free pass on the injury. Schneider said Varsho had been dealing with inflammation in his left wrist for the last couple of days, and it flared again before the Orioles game.
The wrist issue showed up fast in game action. Varsho favored it on two swings in his first at-bat, then left the 13-3 loss before his next trip up, with Yohendrick Piñango taking over as the pinch-hitter in the fourth inning.
Schneider's tone after the game was better than the Blue Jays had reason to expect when Varsho came out. He said the club wanted to be extra careful and hopes the outfielder only needs a day or 2.
That matters because Varsho has been one of the lineup's steadier threats, batting .256 with a .739 OPS and 5 home runs. On a roster still searching for regular power, those are not easy at-bats to replace.
It also matters because this is not some random bench piece needing a breather. Varsho is Toronto's everyday center fielder, and the Blue Jays lose range in the field the minute he is not out there.
There is at least one reason not to overreact yet. Schneider said Varsho told him he has dealt with this kind of wrist inflammation before, which gives the club some hope that rest can calm it down quickly.
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Toronto got the result it needed, not the all-clear
That is the real line on this update. Negative X-rays rule out the fracture fear, but they do not erase the irritation that already pushed Varsho out of a game.
The official injury page still lists his return as to be determined, which tells you Toronto is waiting to see how the wrist responds overnight and into Saturday. The next 24 hours matter more than the scan itself.
If this really is only a day or 2, the Blue Jays can cover the spot with Myles Straw and Nathan Lukes. MLB.com pointed to both as capable center-field options for a short stretch.
If the discomfort hangs around any longer, Toronto's depth gets tested again. Addison Barger is still building up in Florida, and the club's position-player board has already been stretched by multiple injuries.
So the Blue Jays took the best outcome still available after a bad in-game scare. Daulton Varsho avoided the worst-case wrist result, but Toronto still needs the inflammation to back off fast.
Will Daulton Varsho miss more than 2 games?
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Blue Jays announce injury update on Daulton Varsho after exiting game against the Orioles
