Former Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho is batting cleanup for the Houston Astros following his trade on Monday night.
The Astros acquired Varsho from the Blue Jays for starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti at the MLB trade deadline, as the Blue Jays traded away their longtime center fielder to the AL West-leading Astros.
With the Blue Jays in Houston to play the Astros this week, Varsho just walked across the field and into the other clubhouse as he will make his debut for Houston against Toronto.
Daulton Varsho Batting Cleanup for Houston
The Astros released their lineup before Monday’s game against the Blue Jays, and Varsho is batting fourth while playing his familiar center field.
Houston clearly is excited about the prospect of adding Varsho, a Gold Glove center fielder who also has some pop in his bat. The fact that he is batting cleanup for Houston against his old team shows just how much trust and faith that Houston already has in their new center fielder before he has even played a game for his new team.
Daulton Varsho’s Blue Jays Career
The Blue Jays traded catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2022 for Varsho, a trade that turned out to be a good one for both teams, but especially for Toronto, which picked up a Gold Glove outfielder with home run power for the past 3.5 seasons.
During his time with Toronto, Varsho hit .226/.292/.417 for a .709 OPS and a 94 OPS+, a below-average batting line, but he also hit 65 home runs and had 200 RBIs. In addition, he racked up 11.9 bWAR, primarily because of his elite defense in center field, which saw him win the AL Gold Glove for CF in 2024.
Still, while his bat was never elite, Varsho’s defense certainly was, and he was a fan favorite in Toronto for the past 3.5 seasons. The Astros, then, have now acquired someone who will help them down the stretch run and ideally into the playoffs, though Varsho is a free agent following this season, so the Astros don’t have any contractual control beyond 2026.
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