Blue Jays' Varsho to open season on IL
The Toronto Blue Jays will be without Gold Glove-winning center fielder Daulton Varsho to open the season.
Manager John Schneider told reporters Saturday that Varsho will begin the campaign on the injured list as he continues to rehab from rotator cuff surgery in September.
Despite the issue, Varsho has been able to swing a bat and run during spring training but has yet to play defensively. He's been productive at the plate, hitting .276/.333/.793 with four home runs across 10 games, albeit with most of his plate appearances against minor-league pitching.
While the Blue Jays could've used Varsho in a DH role until he was ready to play defensively, the club will instead have him ramp up in Florida before moving him to an affiliate for rehab games. The team is hopeful he can return at some point in April, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.
A handful of options can cover center field in Varsho's absence. With Toronto already optioning Joey Loperfido to Triple-A Buffalo, Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw (who the club will need to add to the 40-man roster) could form a platoon. Steward Berroa is also an option.
Rookie Alan Roden remains in camp and could make the Opening Day roster, though he's only played 31 innings in center field.
Varsho hit 18 home runs with a .700 OPS in 136 games last season. He finished second on the team in fWAR (3.3).
Schneider added that infielder/outfielder Davis Schneider and catcher Tyler Heineman made the team, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.