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Four Blue Jay players that could fill in for Daulton Varsho if he misses the start of the season
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Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Dec 27, 2024, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 26, 2024, 18:49 EST
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It seems more and more likely that Daulton Varsho will miss at least a portion of Spring Training.
At the start of December, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins noted that “it could be unrealistic” for Varsho to be ready when baseball comes back.
Last season, Varsho slashed .214/.293/.407 with 18 home runs in 513 plate appearances for a 99 wRC+ and a 3.3 fWAR. While the bat leaves a bit to be desired, Varsho is by far the best defender in the league at any position, as he posted 28 Defensive Runs Saved and 16 Outs Above Average in 1085.1 innings in the outfield last season. In the past two seasons, Varsho has 57 DRS and 27 OAA, with the former being by far the highest in that span.
However, it seems as if Varsho may not be ready to start the season, which begs the question, who’ll be the Blue Jays starting centre field if Varsho misses any significant time?

Nathan Lukes

Of the four players we’ll look at, Nathan Lukes is the most realistic option for centre field if the Blue Jays go without Daulton Varsho.
Lukes signed as a minor league free agent before the 2022 season and slashed .285/.364/.425 with 11 home runs in 484 plate appearances with the Buffalo Bisons that season. He was added to the 40-man roster and spent time on the Blue Jays roster in 2023 with limited action.
After the Jays decided to sell before the 2024 trade deadline, Lukes became somewhat of a regular, playing 22 games with the Jays where he slashed .303/.371/.447 with one home run in 91 plate appearances with the Jays for a 132 wRC+ and a 0.7 fWAR.
Defensively, he’s no Daulton Varsho, which is fair because who is? However, he had 5 Defensive Runs Saved and -1 Outs Above Average in 173 innings in the outfield last season. In centre field, he had -2 DRS and -2 OAA in 26 innings, a small sample size, but he’s familiar with the position.

Jonatan Clase

At the 2024 trade deadline, the Blue Jays traded Yimi García to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Jacob Sharp and Jonatan Clase.
Clase made his debut in the big leagues last season, slashing .246/.303/.328 with one home run in 66 plate appearances for an 87 wRC+ and a 0.1 fWAR. He looked good when the Blue Jays called him up late in the year, slashing .350/.435/.550, hitting his first career home run and posting a 186 wRC+ and a 0.2 fWAR.
His tenure with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons wasn’t great though, as he slashed .244/.288/.363 with two home runs in 146 plate appearances for a 67 wRC+, along with a high 26 K%.
Clase played 52 innings in centre field after Varsho’s injury, posting -2 DRS and 0 OAA in 56 innings. He has the tools to be successful at the position, as he’s quick defensively, but the small sample size isn’t a great sign, at least with the glove.

Steward Berroa

Similar to Clase in some ways, namely speed and defensive potential, Berroa spent significant time on the Blue Jays’ roster last season.
He didn’t get much playing time, even after the Jays sold at the deadline, but he slashed .189/.333/.216 with no home runs in 45 plate appearances. However, his numbers in Triple-A were a career-best year, hitting a new high of 10 home runs while slashing .281/.371/.454 in 300 plate appearances, with an 11.7 BB% and a 23.7 K%.
On top of that, Berroa is a fast runner, stealing 34 of 42 bases last season in Buffalo. The year prior, he stole 47 of 57 bases, with that speed also helping him in the outfield. He only played three innings in centre field in the big leagues but had 3 DRS and OAA in 76 innings in left field. He can also play all three outfield positions.

Will Robertson

Of the four players we’ve looked at, Will Robertson is the only one without previous MLB experience.
Robertson was a late bloomer, as the fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft had a great season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2023, slashing .245/.323/.488 with 19 home runs in 412 plate appearances.
This past season with the Buffalo Bisons, he equalled his home run total from the 2023 season but slashed .226/.319/.429, along with a 10.8 BB% and a 31.3 K%, the highest strikeout rate of his career and a worrisome sign.
Defensively, he played some centre field last season, getting 43.1 innings in centre where he didn’t commit an error, nor did he get an outfield assist. Robertson has mainly played in one of the corner outfields throughout his career, playing 597.1 innings in right field where he had six assists and three errors.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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