Daulton Varsho’s Blue Jays return date is now official

That is a needed lift for Toronto after Varsho missed the last 2 games in Arizona. Sportsnet reported Sunday that the Blue Jays expect him to return in the series opener against the Angels on Monday.

Varsho said it plainly, too. “I'll probably be in the lineup,” he said after the tightness that pulled on his kneecap eased over the weekend.

The Blue Jays considered using him Sunday in the 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks. They backed off out of caution and chose not to push it.

That call made baseball sense. Varsho said the issue came out of nowhere before Friday's game, even after what he described as a good day of pre-game work.

Once he tested it, he knew something was off. He told Schneider before his first at-bat that his knee was bothering him, and after the first inning he knew it was not working.

The good part for Toronto is how fast it calmed down. Varsho said he started improving Saturday and felt much better Sunday after getting 2 days off his feet.

This is bigger than just restoring the center-field spot. Varsho has been one of the Blue Jays' most reliable bats, hitting .262/.333/.462 with 3 home runs and 4 doubles so far.

That matters on this roster. Toronto has spent too much of April patching together offense, so getting Varsho back into the lineup card gives Schneider one less hole to cover.

It also says something about how the Blue Jays handled the scare. Varsho himself framed it the right way, saying you might try to push through it in a World Series-type spot, but not when risking an injured-list stay for 2 months this early in the season.

That line tells you exactly where Toronto's head was. The club was not managing one weekend. It was protecting a player it needs for the long haul.

And Monday now looks like the payoff for that patience. After missing just 2 games, Varsho appears lined up to return against the Angels with the issue easing instead of getting worse.

For the Blue Jays, that is the kind of injury update that can change a road trip fast. Daulton Varsho is not just nearing a return. He is giving Toronto a real chance to get one of its better all-around players back before this turned into something much heavier.