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The ease with which Varsho tackles the bulk of his day can be deceiving. While his hitting and fielding are progressing quickly, an intense throwing progression remains a giant hurdle in his return from a torn rotator cuff.

Still, more than a month before the Blue Jays season, there’s growing optimism in camp that Varsho might be ready by opening day. 

“I think, for everybody, I’m ahead of schedule,” Varsho said. “I’m taking it day by day, knowing that hitting is ahead and throwing is going to be further behind. But things are going well. I’m feeling it come out a little bit more. I heard my arm whip the other day. So I was like, all right, we’re getting close.”

Varsho went under the knife in September and was expected to miss the start of this season. While that still might be the case, it’s no longer a lock as the 28-year-old continues to make a quick recovery.

The turning point came in early January, when Varsho reported to the Jays player development complex. After a lengthy period of inactivity, he received a clean bill of health from the team doctor and was cleared to resume most baseball activities.

Varsho started small. In previous off-seasons, he felt there was a rush to make quick and drastic changes to his mechanics. The rehab slowed him down, in a good way. He began with half-swings off a tee and focused on short, compact cuts.

As the intensity picked up, his goal remained the same. Varsho said that last year the backside of his swing became too long. The rehab forced him to remain patient, which meant there was time to focus on a more direct approach.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” Jays manager John Schneider said. “Just with the intent that he’s swinging, for one, facing live pitchers already. He’s doing everything defensively. His throwing gets better every time he’s doing it.

“There are probably going to be some bumps on the road along the way and he’s handled it well. It’s a big year for Varsh ... He’s definitely more intense with everything he’s doing than I thought he would be right now.”

The throwing program is going to take time. Varsho has been playing catch every other day. This weekend, he’ll throw a back-to-back for the first time since surgery. He’s out to 90 feet while slowly increasing his volume and effort.

He does two sets of 25 throws. The goal each day is to make the tosses more on a line with less loft. He’s essentially teaching his body how to throw all over again.

The Jays have been cautious, not wanting to put too much pressure on their gold glove centre-fielder. They are hesitant to set a return date, and yet it seems by his actions there is hope Varsho will be ready for the start of the season, even if they don’t want to say it.

“I’m not trying to set a goal,” Varsho said. “I’m just trying to be ready for the day, knowing that there are going to be good days and bad days. That’s just kind of how rehab works. So, just taking a day at a time (and) we’ll see where we get closer to the end of spring.”

Schneider's right. This is a big year for Varsho, and an even bigger year for the Jays, whose window of opportunity to contend is closing rapidly. To compete against the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, this team is going to need several hitters to step up and exceed expectations.

Varsho might be up for the challenge. As one of Major League Baseball’s top outfield defenders, his glove speaks for itself. But there is room for improvement with a .217 average and .686 on-base plus slugging percentage across two seasons with the Jays.

If he can up those numbers closer to the .246 and .755 he once produced in Arizona, the Jays would be thrilled. With free agency two years away, it could also lead to a big payday for a player general manager Ross Atkins mentioned as an extension candidate early in camp.

Varsho will worry about that later. Right now, he’s focused on getting ready for the season. If he keeps progressing like this, it’s possible his first assignment will be on opening day.