Why Toronto Blue Jays are using Daulton Varsho as designated hitter
For those tuning in to see Daulton Varsho play with the Toronto Blue Jays throughout spring training — or early in the regular season — they might be surprised not to see him in the outfield.
Known as one of the best fielders in baseball — who finally won his first Gold Glove last season — Varsho is making his spring training debut on Friday afternoon as a designated hitter.
Coming off of a rotator cuff injury from last season, Varsho is cleared to hit and run the bases but needs to get further blessing from the Blue Jays’ medical staff before he can play the field.
“You’re trying to get intensity so that when you do back up, you’re not using the bigger muscles, you’re using your rotator cuff again, your labrum, to be able to finish and be able to do what I want to do, spin the ball correctly, instead of pushing it,” Varsho said to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “We’ll eventually get to where we need to stretch it out.”
Varsho added that he’s hoping the rehab will make him a more complete baseball player. In his third season in Toronto, he had a .214 batting average with 98 hits, 18 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 73 runs scored in 136 games.
“This process helped me slow down with my swing, understand my moves a little bit more, understand my mechanics. I took it for granted that I was doing certain things,” Varsho added. “Like understanding how to throw a baseball correctly – you’re reteaching yourself how to throw. Hitting in the box, what are the moves I’m doing, so that when I go through funks during a season, I have something to go back to, slow me back down and this is what I need to do, A, B and C, to be able to get through it. The rehab helped me helped me with, it’s okay to relax and reset and get back to being grounded and normal.”
The Jays spring training schedule wraps up on March 23, with the team’s regular season opener five days later.