Blue Jays Injury Notes: Daulton Varsho Day-to-Day, Next Jose Berrios Rehab Set
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The Toronto Blue Jays will tread carefully with center fielder Daulton Varsho over the coming days.
The center fielder left Friday’s game with what the Blue Jays called left knee discomfort. Per MLB.com, he told the team about it before the game and left in the third inning. He isn’t going to undergo any testing as of Friday night.
The Blue Jays have a lengthy injured list, but much of it is concentrated on the pitching side. Losing Varsho would be a significant blow both offensively and defensively for Toronto.
At the plate he is slashing .262/.333/.462 with three home runs and seven RBI. He is also a Gold Glove-level defender. With Addison Barger already out due to injury, the Blue Jays can’t afford a long stretch without Varsho.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Appears OK
If things weren’t bad enough on Friday, manager John Schneider and trainers checked on first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during Friday's game after Guerrero’s glove hand was clipped by a Diamondbacks baserunner while he was making a play at first base. Guerrero remained in the game but was visibly seen flexing his left hand in between plays.
Schneider told reporters after the game that the baserunner caught Guerrero’s index finger and that he felt he would be ready for Saturday’s game. It’s worth monitoring.
José Berríos’ Next Rehab Game
The Blue Jays have set starting pitcher José Berríos’ next rehab game for Wednesday with Class-A Dunedin, per MLB.com. It will be his second rehab game as he attempts to return from the right elbow stress fracture that derailed his spring training and prevented him from pitching in the World Baseball Classic.
His first rehab start went well. He threw 47 pitches in a 2.2-inning appearance with Dunedin on Thursday. He struck out three and walked one. The raw numbers didn’t look great, as he allowed five hits and five earned runs. Toronto has 30 days from the start of his rehab assignment to activate him.
Trey Yesavage Stays in Minors
The Blue Jays were toying with the idea of promoting Trey Yesavage after his third rehab assignment earlier this week. But, on Friday, Schneider told reporters that Toronto will give him one more rehab game next week before determining when to promote him.
Yesavage threw 71 pitches in his last rehab game, as he pitched 4.1 innings for Triple-A Buffalo. The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the hope is to get Yesavage past the 75-pitch threshold.
Lazaro Estrada on MLB IL
Per MLB’s Keegan Matheson, pitcher Lazaro Estrada is on the Major League 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement. The distinction is only important because the injury was discovered when he was optioned to Buffalo. But, after doctors determined that the injury happened while he was with the Blue Jays, that forced Toronto to move him to the Major League IL. The status on the 40-man roster remains unchanged.
Toronto Blue Jays Injury List
(per MLB.com)
10-Day IL: DH/OF George Springer (left big toe fracture), RF/3B Addison Barger (left ankle sprain), C Alejandro Kirk (left thumb fracture)
15-Day IL: RHP Lazaro Estrada (right shoulder impingement), RHP Trey Yesavage (right shoulder impingement), RHP José Berríos (right elbow stress fracture), RHP Yimi Garcia (rehab from 2025 right elbow surgery)
60-Day IL: RHP Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation), RHP Cody Ponce (right knee ACL sprain), OF Anthony Santander (left shoulder labral surgery), RHP Bowden Francis (right UCL reconstruction surgery)
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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