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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Notches first win of 2026
Rotowire
Varland (1-1) earned the win against the Brewers on Tuesday, allowing one unearned run on two hits while striking out two across 1.1 innings.
Jeff Hoffman blew his save chance after giving up two runs in the ninth, and after loading the bases, Blue Jays manager John Schneider opted to turn things over to Varland, who promptly struck out Joey Ortiz in three pitches. Varland was brought back out for the 10th to protect the Jays' three-run lead, and he ended the game by punching out Gary Sanchez. Varland has yet to give up an earned run through 10.1 innings this season and is building off a strong 2025 campaign in which he posted a 2.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 23 holds and a 75:22 K:BB across 72.2 innings. The 28-year-old right-hander is clearly trusted to handle high-leverage situations, which makes him a candidate to see save opportunities if Hoffman is unable to snap out of his slow start to the season.
Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Impressive start to season
Rotowire
Varland struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning during Sunday's loss to the Twins.
It wasn't a particularly high-leverage situation as the Blue Jays were down 8-1 when he took the mound, but Varland still fired 11 of 16 pitches for strikes in another impressive outing. Through eight appearances and nine innings to begin the year, the right-hander has a 0.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB with two holds.
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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Stuck with loss Monday
Rotowire
Varland (0-1) took the loss Monday as the Blue Jays fell 14-5 to the Rockies, allowing an unearned run on two hits over 1.1 innings of relief. He struck out three without walking a batter.
The right-hander pitched well in a tough spot, as Varland was called in when Cody Ponce (knee) was removed from the game in the third inning, but the unearned run he gave up in the fourth wound up being the one that put Colorado in the lead for good. Varland's seen a heavy workload early, appearing in three of the Jays' first four games and posting a 0.00 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 5:2 K:BB over 3.1 innings with a hold.
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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Serves up homer Sunday
Rotowire
Varland struck out one and gave up a solo home run to Carson Williams in an inning of relief during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Varland has a 5:2 K:BB through 5.1 innings this spring but has been tagged for two homers. Keeping the ball in the yard has been an issue for the right-hander in the past -- he served up 12 homers in only 49.2 innings for the Twins in 2024, leading to a bloated 7.61 ERA -- but he reined in those tendencies last season en route to a 2.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a career-high 23 holds over 74 appearances between Minnesota and Toronto. Varland will begin 2026 as one of the top setup man in front of closer Jeff Hoffman.
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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Will remain in bullpen
Rotowire
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Varland will remain in a bullpen role in 2026, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Varland excelled in a full-time move to a relief role in 2025, posting a 2.97 ERA and 75:22 K:BB over 72.2 regular-season innings between the Blue Jays and Twins. The 28-year-old has a career 5.18 ERA over 23 starts at the major-league level, and it does not appear the Blue Jays have interest in giving Varland another chance to start anytime soon. He's likely to begin the 2026 campaign in a setup role.
Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Kicking off bullpen day in Game 4
Rotowire
Varland is slated to serve as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher Wednesday for Game 4 of the ALDS versus the Yankees, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Blue Jays are expected to rely on their bullpen to get through Wednesday's contest, and the team will officially turn to Varland to collect the first several outs. The 27-year-old turned in a 4.94 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 23.2 frames in the regular season after joining Toronto at the trade deadline. He's pitched in each of the first three games of the series versus New York, yielding two earned runs on three hits while striking out three over 2.2 innings.
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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Starting bullpen game
Rotowire
Varland will start Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Varland has turned in a 5.66 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 20.2 innings since being traded to Toronto, and the Jays will now see how he fares in a new role. The 27-year-old righty began his career working primarily as a starter with the Twins, though he will likely only remain in Thursday's game for an inning or two before turning things over to the bullpen.
Varland struck out one in a perfect seventh inning during Friday's loss to the Royals.
He fired 12 of 14 pitches for strikes in his Toronto debut. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Twins, Varland entered the game with his new team down 5-1, but he should quickly slot into a high-leverage role for the Jays, joining Yariel Rodriguez, Seranthony Dominguez and Yimi Garcia (elbow) as right-handed setup options in front of closer Jeff Hoffman.
The Blue Jays acquired Varland and Ty France from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for Alan Roden and Kendry Rojas, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Varland has worked as a full-time reliever this season for the first time in his professional career, and he's transitioned to the role flawlessly with a 2.02 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 47:13 K:BB across 49 innings. The right-hander should be in the high-leverage mix for Toronto but isn't likely to be a consistent candidate for saves.
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Twins' Louis Varland: Continues success in bullpen
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Varland allowed a walk but no hits over a scoreless inning Friday against Kansas City. He has a 2.74 ERA and a 26:6 K:BB in 23 innings with eight holds this season.
Varland moved to the bullpen this spring and has become a key setup man for the Twins. He's on a streak of nine consecutive outings without allowing a run over 7.2 innings. The right-hander struggled last season as a starter in Triple-A with a 4.75 ERA, but he showed promise as a reliever in the majors in 2023 with a 1.50 ERA and a 17:1 K:BB in 12 innings.
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Twins' Louis Varland: Move to bullpen going well
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Varland allowed one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning Thursday against the Royals.
Varland moved to the bullpen this spring, and the returns have been encouraging so far, as he has a 3.86 ERA and 10:3 K:BB in seven innings. He could be used in higher-leverage spots if he continues his early success. The right-hander struggled last season as a starter in Triple-A with a 4.75 ERA, but he showed promise as a reliever in the majors in 2023 with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings and a 17:1 K:BB.
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Twins' Louis Varland: Likely to win bullpen role
Rotowire
Varland is expected to make the Twins' major-league roster as a reliever, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. He's thrown nine scoreless innings with a 5:2 K:BB ratio this spring.
Manager Rocco Baldelli hasn't confirmed the move to the bullpen in an attempt to keep his options open, but Varland hasn't been building up innings to work as a starter this spring. The right-hander struggled last season as a starter in Triple-A with a 4.75 ERA. As a reliever in the majors during 2023, he showed promise with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings and a 17:1 K:BB. Varland could soon be in the high-leverage mix due to a fastball that can touch triple digits.
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Twins' Louie Varland: Likely to move to bullpen
Rotowire
Varland is likely to work as a reliever this spring and try to win a spot in the bullpen, Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's very possible that we see a good amount of him out of the bullpen this year," manager Rocco Baldelli said.
However, Baldelli did say the move to the bullpen wasn't certain. If Varland is kept as a starter, he'd likely begin the season in the minors. He struggled last season as a starter in Triple-A with a 4.75 ERA. As a reliever in 2023 in the majors, he showed promise with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings and a 17:1 K:BB. If he claims a spot in the major-league bullpen, Varland could be in the high-leverage mix due to a fastball that can touch triple digits.
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