Daulton Varsho homers in loss to Yankees

Varsho knocked a base hit in the second inning, then later led off the seventh inning with a solo homer off Luis Medina. The 30-year-old outfielder is having a down season in the power department as Saturday’s blast was just his ninth home run of the season. He’s slashing .232/.297/.364 with 44 runs scored, 30 RBI, and 10 steals across 431 plate appearances.

Varsho has hit just .125 (6-for-48) with one homer, three RBI and one steal across 13 games since being acquired from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline earlier this month. It’s an extremely small sample size, but Varsho could certainly use a mental reset to hopefully get back on track.

Varsho had been limited to two singles in 18 at-bats since being acquired from the Blue Jays on Monday. The homer was hit 395 feet to right center off Randy Vásquez. That tied his fourth longest shot of the season. Last year, Varsho hit 400-foot flies 12 times, topping out at 467 feet at Coors (437 feet elsewhere). This year, he’s gotten to 400 only twice, hitting a homer 405 feet in April and a triple 403 feet in May.

The trade is now official. Varsho will pack up and switch clubhouses with the Blue Jays in Houston for Monday’s series opener. He figures to be in the lineup for the Astros against his former club. The 30-year-old remains a phenomenal defensive center fielder, but he’s traded some over-the-fence pop to cut back on strikeouts this year. He’s posted seven homers and nine steals in 365 plate appearances across 99 games this season.

Varsho will switch clubhouses prior to Monday’s series opener at Daikin Park in Houston. The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reports the Blue Jays are getting starter Spencer Arrighetti, who is currently on the injured list with right foot nerve irritation, back in the deal. Varsho shores up Houston’s significant need for a center fielder after Jake Meyers struggled to the point that he was demoted last month. The 30-year-old played a key role in Toronto’s run to the World Series last year. He’s supplied seven homers and nine steals in 365 plate appearances across 99 games this season.

The Blue Jays don’t seem to be mailing it in, so it’s quite possible Varsho stays put, especially since the return likely wouldn’t be very significant. The Padres would likely use him in left, with Gavin Sheets losing some playing time.

This makes plenty of sense. The Phillies need another starter for the rotation and potentially another outfield bat as well. The Blue Jays could send any combination of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, George Springer, and Daulton Varsho. The Phillies may also be interested in Jeff Hoffman for the bullpen. Would the Blue Jays want to take a chance that they can “fix” Andrew Painter? There is still time to go here and nothing imminent, but it seems like a pairing that makes sense.

Varsho’s exit velocity numbers are well down from last year, when he greatly upped both his slugging and his strikeout rate, but he had it working today. His hits left the bat at 107, 103 and 106 mph. Coming into the day, he had 36 batted balls at 100 mph and 22 at 103 mph in 66 games this season. Hopefully, it’s a sign that his wrist is doing much better following his brief IL stint.

Varsho, making his first start back off the injured list, broke through for the Blue Jays in the seventh inning with a three-run blast off Trent Thornton to put Toronto on the board. The home run was the start of a comeback for the Blue Jays, who entered the seventh down 5-0. It was Varsho’s first home run since May 13 and sixth of the season while hitting .256/.329/.419 with 28 runs scored and 20 RBI across 240 plate appearances.

Varsho had been shelved since June 7 due to inflammation in his left wrist. He returns to a .256/.331/.408 slash line with five homers, 17 RBI and five swipes through his first 236 plate appearances on the season. He’ll start in center field and bat sixth against Cubs’ right-hander Colin Rea on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.