Daulton Varsho's Slump Couldn't Have Come at Worse Time for Blue Jays
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A month ago, the Blue Jays were still trying to stay in the playoff race. That picture has changed. Toronto enters the trade deadline stretch at 48-58, 10 games under .500, after losing 12 of its last 18 games.
Over their last 99 games, the Blue Jays had finished below .500 on only two nights. The most recent came on June 22. With the club now headed in a different direction, the conversation is no longer about finding the piece that can spark a turnaround.
Instead, the front office must determine which players remain part of the organization's long-term plans and which could become part of trade discussions.
Daulton Varsho falls into that category for a reason few expected.
His defense remains among the best in baseball. His range, speed and ability to patrol center field continue to make him one of the game's premier defenders. What has changed is his bat, and the timing could not be worse as Toronto evaluates every piece of its roster before the trade deadline.
The Offense Has Disappeared
The batting average tells only part of the story.
Since June 23, Varsho has hit .225 with a .250 on-base percentage and a .303 slugging percentage. He has hit just one home run in 26 games, while his .079 ISO stands in sharp contrast to the power he showed during the first half of the season.
July has only deepened those struggles.
In 19 games this month, Varsho owns a .203/.227/.219 slash line without a home run and with a .016 ISO. His 23 wRC+ ranks among the lowest marks posted by Toronto's regular position players during that span.
The issue has not been an increase in strikeouts. His 10.6 percent strikeout rate in July is actually one of the lowest in the lineup. The difference has come when he puts the ball in play. The extra-base hits have disappeared, and his walk rate has fallen to just 3.0 percent, leaving him with few ways to contribute offensively.
That trend has also shown up in key situations. Since June 23, Varsho owns a 20 wRC+ with runners in scoring position, drawing no walks while striking out in more than 33 percent of those plate appearances. For a lineup that has struggled to generate offense, those numbers carry even more weight.
The Timing Changes Everything
Varsho's slump has come during the Blue Jays' worst offensive stretch of the season.
Since June 23, Toronto has posted a collective 72 wRC+, the third-lowest mark in Major League Baseball over that span. The Blue Jays have also hit just .220 with a .275 on-base percentage and a .341 slugging percentage. Only the Yankees and Cardinals have produced less offense during that period.
When an offense struggles to score, every spot in the lineup becomes more important. Toronto has lost one of its few power threats at a time when no one else has stepped in to replace that production.
That context also shapes every decision the front office will make before the deadline.
Buried at the bottom of the division, Toronto must first decide whether it will become a seller before the trade deadline. Over the next few days, it will become clear whether Varsho is part of those conversations. His defense still carries the same reputation it always has. His bat comes with far more questions. And the timing of this slump could not have been worse.
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Yirsandy is a baseball writer specializing in MLB coverage with experience across multiple teams and storylines. He currently writes for Diamond Centric, where he covers the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. My work focuses on game coverage, player analysis, and storytelling that connects performance with context. My Substack has also been an important part of my writing development, where I’ve built much of my baseball coverage and storytelling voice over time. I’m passionate about combining reporting, research, and thoughtful analysis to produce engaging baseball content for readers.
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