Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins expects newcomer Daulton Varsho to spend most of his time playing left field in 2023.
Atkins spoke to reporters on Saturday, less than 24 hours after acquiring the left-handed hitting Varsho in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
“The impact he’s going to have on our team is going to be on every side of the ball, the base-running impact, the speed, the versatility, elite defence, and the fact he can also catch for us is about as good a fit as we possibly could have found,” Atkins said. “It is the ideal fit for this roster and one we are very excited about.”
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Varsho did not play any left field for the Diamondbacks last year. He started 61 games in right field, 42 in centre, 18 as a catcher and 15 as a designated hitter.
Atkins said Varsho could be an option as a catcher behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk.
George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier figure to be Toronto’s other primary outfielders.
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