Daulton

Varsho

In the final week of the regular season, Varsho admitted that he might need offseason surgery, and that was indeed the case. The 30-year-old hit .221/.281/.355 with 12 home runs, 12 steals, and a career-low 20.3 percent strikeout rate. He’ll be a free agent in the off-season, and it will be really interesting to see what kind of contract he can get, keeping in mind his clear defensive value.

The Astros acknowledged on Thursday that surgery could be required to repair the issue, which would cost Varsho the remainder of the season. His potential availability for the postseason will be determined by how that evaluation on Monday goes.

The Astros had been hopeful that Varsho wouldn’t require a trip to the injured list, but after missing three straight games they decided it was best to place him on the injured list. Jorge Barrosa was promoted from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place on the active roster on Thursday.

It’ll be Lucas Spence taking over in center field after Brice Matthews was hurt during Tuesday’s game in Seattle. Varsho remains out for the third consecutive contest due to an ongoing left wrist issue.

Varsho is on the bench for a second straight game due to the ongoing issue, according to Astros manager Joe Espada. It would certainly help explain his recent struggles as he’s hit just .083 (2-for-24) over his last seven games. He’s posted a disastrous .535 OPS with five homers and three steals in 41 games since being acquired from the Blue Jays at last month’s trade deadline. It’ll be Brice Matthews taking over in center field for the second consecutive contest.

Varsho takes a seat for the second straight contest with Brice Matthews getting an opportunity in center field. He’s really struggling at the dish recently, hitting .083 (2-for-24) over his last seven games. He’s posted a disastrous .535 OPS with five homers and three steals in 41 games since being acquired from the Blue Jays at last month’s trade deadline.

Varsho will take a seat with left-hander Martin Perez on the hill for the Braves. Brice Matthews will draw a start in his place in center field and will bat ninth for the Astros on Sunday afternoon in Houston.

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.