Daulton Varsho sits against left-hander on Sunday

Matthews is back in Houston’s outfield equation after missing roughly two months recovering from a left knee sprain. The 24-year-old former first-round pick was hitting .197/.250/.332 with seven homers and four steals in 226 plate appearances prior to the injury.

Matthews has been sidelined since suffering a left knee sprain just before the All-Star break. He has finally made tangible strides in his recovery though and should only need a weekend’s worth of games in the minor leagues before he’s an option to rejoin the Astros.

Varsho turned a 3-2 advantage into a 5-2 ballgame with his two-run three-bagger off of Luis Castillo in the third inning. He then scored on an RBI single off the bat of Christian Walker. It has been a rough go for Varsho at the dish since joining the Astros, slashing a meager .180/.248/.320 with three homers, 12 RBI and a 24/9 K/BB ratio over his first 109 plate appearances.

Varsho’s solo home run in the fourth inning briefly tied this game up before the Yankees jumped ahead in the bottom of that frame and pulled away later on. Nevertheless, he’s begun to pull the nose up after a rough start to his Astros tenure now riding a six-game hitting streak with four extra-base hits over that span.

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.

Astros GM Dana Brown said a couple of weeks ago that Matthews could return in mid-to-late August, but something changed there. This rules him out until Sept. 12 with the knee injury he suffered in the final game before the All-Star break.

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.