DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Daulton Varsho was always the biggest variable in Blue Jays camp. Now that he¡¯s officially starting 2025 on the IL, the other dominos can start to fall.
Varsho will travel with the Blue Jays to Toronto to receive his Gold Glove Award on Opening Day, but after that, it¡¯s back to Dunedin, Fla., where he¡¯ll work with special assistant Kevin Kiermaier and the Blue Jays¡¯ staff to finish up his rehab from shoulder surgery.
The Varsho news came early Saturday along with a flurry of other notes from John Schneider as the Blue Jays¡¯ Opening Day roster comes into focus:
? Davis Schneider, Tyler Heineman, Brendon Little and Nick Sandlin have made the team.
? Erik Swanson, Ryan Burr and Zach Pop will start on the IL.
? Pitching decisions, including the roles of Yariel Rodr¨ªguez and potentially Ryan Yarbrough, still hinge on how Max Scherzer feels recovering from his Saturday start.
Varsho has been hitting for a couple of months already, but with a shoulder rehab, it¡¯s all about throwing. He¡¯s getting closer, but he¡¯s not there just yet.
"If he were to be active and break camp, we¡¯d been shooting for outfield games at the beginning of this week and didn¡¯t get there,¡± Schneider said.
¡°That being said, he¡¯s making a ton of progress with the throwing and we have a very specific plan laid out for him to hopefully join us as quickly as he can. If that looks like every day in center, great. If that looks like a couple of days on and off and he can DH, great. I love the adjustments he made, but with how it affects everyone else on the roster right now, it didn¡¯t make sense to keep him as a primary DH for probably a couple of weeks.¡±
The plan is to ¡°expedite¡± Varsho's recovery in Dunedin and, when the time comes, get him into ¡°a handful of games¡± with Triple-A Buffalo. Listening to Schneider, it¡¯s clear the Blue Jays are aiming to have Varsho back with the big club at some point in April.
With Joey Loperfido already optioned to Triple-A, this leaves the door wide open for a group that includes Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Alan Roden, Addison Barger and Steward Berroa. Barger feels like a safe bet to crack the roster now, but is more of a corner outfielder. The Blue Jays need two capable center fielders, even if one is more of a ¡°secondary¡± option -- which should be good news for Lukes, who they¡¯ve trusted plenty in recent years.
The most interesting wrinkle in all of this, though, remains Roden, the Blue Jays¡¯ No. 5 prospect and the star of camp.
Roden's role
It¡¯s still complicated, but Schneider does see a way to fit Roden onto this roster if that¡¯s the way the Blue Jays eventually lean.
"There¡¯s a way to do it with DH, left and center,¡± Schneider said.
Would that be enough reps, though, for a young player with just a half-season of Triple-A under his belt? Roden has dazzled in Dunedin and his mental makeup points to a young player capable of handling any challenge, but the Blue Jays don¡¯t want him collecting dust on the bench. Roden has barely played center in the Minors and has seen just brief appearances there this spring, so that feels like a risky play for such a defense-oriented organization.
The DH spot makes this much more interesting, though, given Roden¡¯s offensive profile and the option to slide Anthony Santander or George Springer into that role for a day or two a week.
Who's the DH?
Let¡¯s start with who it won¡¯t be ¡ at least not very often: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
"I know Vlad hates it. He told me he doesn¡¯t want to DH until the second half of the season already,¡± Schneider said with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that beneficial for [Alejandro Kirk]. Getting him in behind the plate is the right way to go. Bo is another one. You guys will probably see us wrestling if I DH him.¡±
A lot of signs point to Will Wagner, who feels like a player that will still find their way into 120-plus games despite not having an everyday position. Eventually, players like Guerrero, Santander and Springer will eat into these days, but the flexibility offered by the DH spot can only help players like Roden and Barger, especially as this club chases more offensive upside.