Daulton Varsho will be in the dugout with his new team against his former team for the second time on Tuesday when the Toronto Blue Jays face the host Houston Astros in the middle contest of a three-game series.
Varsho was running in the outfield in Houston when he learned he had been traded, and hours later, he was in the Astros lineup. He went 1-for-4 with a walk in his debut, a 3-1 loss.
Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, traded to the Blue Jays, is on the injured list.
The Astros are hopeful that Varsho fills their pressing need for a left-handed-hitting outfielder. Varsho hit .243 with seven homers and 26 RBIs in 100 games with Toronto but slugged 85 home runs over the previous four seasons and won a Gold Glove in 2024.
“Excited to add Varsho to our lineup,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He fits a hole that we’ve had here for a while. He brings a different dynamic to our offense. Can really play center field, lefty bat. This guy was in the World Series not that long ago (in 2025), so he knows what it takes. He knows what it feels like.
“He’s got some juice. I think his power will play really well in this ballpark. He can run and steal some bases. He’s a plus-defender in center. Those are things that fit right in.”
Varsho has at least one former teammate in the Houston locker room. He spent his first three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he played with Astros first baseman Christian Walker.
“Knowing Christian Walker gives me just a little bit of a breather going into a clubhouse where you kinda don’t know anybody,” Varsho said. “A guy like that gives you a little bit of confidence to just be yourself.”
Right-hander Hayden Wesneski (1-0, 4.76 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Tuesday. It will mark the second start of the season for Wesneski, who allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on July 29.
Wesneski missed the first four months of the season recovering and rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Wesneski worked two scoreless innings of relief in his lone appearance against Toronto on Aug. 13, 2023, allowing one hit while pitching for the Chicago Cubs in an 11-4 loss.
Another right-hander Trey Yesavage (5-5, 3.73) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays. In five starts last month, he won just one game, defeating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on July 29. He allowed one run on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
Yesavage will make his second career start against the Astros. He allowed one run on two hits and five walks with five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in the Blue Jays’ 3-1 loss on June 24. Yesavage did not factor into the decision.
Varsho was one of a trio of mainstays the Blue Jays jettisoned at the trade deadline, with pitchers Kevin Gausman (Cubs) and Jeff Hoffman (Minnesota Twins) also shipped out.
The Blue Jays are in last place in the American League East, four games out of the final wild card.
However, as part of their six trades on Sunday and Monday, the Blue Jays added right-handers Jose Soriano (Angels), Jameson Taillon (Cubs) and Arrighetti, plus infielder Josh Smith (Texas Rangers). The net result of those trades appears to serve Toronto in the present and future.
“The message is we’re not just saying, ‘Hey, we’re done competing.'” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It was a unique time to add talent for the now and for the future, and I feel like we did that.
“Guys that have been here, we understand that we have X amount of games to play better, and they all understand that. The message is we’re still trying to win; we’re still trying to get into the postseason. There’re definitely areas that we need to get better at. Hopefully the additions help, but I think a lot of the guys that are here, they need to continue to get better, too.”
–Field Level Media
