Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professional Athletes

Daulton Varsho's Wrist Puts 2026 Season on the Line

Wisconsin-Milwaukee's most prominent MLB alumnus may have played his last game of 2026. The Houston Astros placed outfielder Daulton Varsho on the 10-day injured list on September 25, retroactive to September 23, with left wrist inflammation — an injury that had already kept him out for an extended stretch heading into the move.

With the regular season winding down and postseason rosters carrying their own roster calculus, the timing couldn't be worse. The Astros selected outfielder Jorge Barrosa to fill Varsho's spot on the active roster and designated right-hander Jason Alexander for assignment to clear a 40-man spot. The roster shuffling underscores that Houston isn't treating this as a short-term absence. Left wrist inflammation for a left-handed hitter carries obvious offensive implications — and with the season's final week already underway, there's no guarantee Varsho returns before the calendar flips.

Varsho, a center fielder acquired by the Astros, had been absent from the lineup in the days leading up to the IL move, making the formalization of his injury status less a surprise than a confirmation of what observers had already suspected.

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A.J. Blubaugh Pitches Through the Stretch

While Varsho watches from the IL, fellow UWM alum A.J. Blubaugh has been one of the more active Astros arms down the stretch. The right-hander appeared in three games during the September 20–26 window, picking up late-inning work as Houston navigated a critical stretch of its schedule.

Blubaugh threw two innings against the Mariners on September 24, striking out one batter and keeping his ERA at 3.59 — solid work in a middle-relief role. He followed that up with a scoreless one-inning outing on September 23 in another Houston-Seattle matchup. The week wasn't without a hiccup: on September 26 against the Athletics, Blubaugh allowed one earned run in two-thirds of an inning, nudging his ERA up to 3.66. Still, an ERA sitting just below that mark heading into the final days of the regular season represents a respectable season for the former Panther.

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The Bigger Picture

For UWM fans, this week is a study in contrasts. Blubaugh is grinding through meaningful September innings on a contending roster. Varsho, by far the most decorated alumnus in the big leagues, is on the shelf at the worst possible time — and the question of whether his 2026 season is effectively over hangs over the next several days.

The Astros have given no public timetable for Varsho's return, and with a 10-day IL stint backdated to September 23, his earliest eligibility lands just ahead of the regular season's final weekend. Whether Houston would rush a player back from wrist inflammation with postseason positioning already locked in — or still in play — remains to be seen. For now, one UWM alum is keeping the flag flying in Houston while the other waits out a frustrating finish to his year.

Panthers in the Bigs: Varsho and Blubaugh Represent UWM in Houston

It's a rare thing in professional sports — two alumni from the same mid-major program sharing a major-league roster. For Wisconsin-Milwaukee, that's exactly the situation playing out in Houston right now, where outfielder Daulton Varsho and reliever AJ Blubaugh are both suiting up for the Astros down the stretch of the 2026 season.

Varsho's September Highlight

The bigger name of the two, Varsho provided the week's signature moment on Thursday, September 17, going yard against Kansas City in Houston's 6-2 win over the Royals. The center fielder went 1-for-1 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored in the first game of that doubleheader — a bright spot in what has otherwise been a modest offensive season. He followed with another hit in the nightcap, though Houston dropped the second game 5-2.

Varsho carried a .224 average into the week and finished it at .221 after a quiet Saturday against Atlanta, as the Astros dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Braves, 6-3 in each game. The homer, though, is the kind of late-season flash that keeps a player relevant on the roster — and it's hard to ignore when your teammate went to the same school in Milwaukee.

Blubaugh Grinds Through the Bullpen

Blubaugh's week was a grind. The right-hander logged a clean inning of work on Wednesday, September 16 against Kansas City — one strikeout, no runs — keeping his ERA at a solid 3.26. But Saturday's twin bill against Atlanta was rougher. He gave up two earned runs over one inning in the first game, then allowed three more in just a third of an inning in the nightcap. His ERA climbed from 3.26 to 3.70 by the end of the day.

That's the life of a late-inning reliever in September: the highs and lows come fast, and the stat line can shift dramatically inside of an afternoon. Blubaugh's overall body of work still reflects a pitcher who has held his own at the major-league level.

The Bigger Picture

The Panthers aren't alone in the league — the research brief also flags Riley Frey (Braves, P), Austin Schulfer (Phillies, P), and Jack Dunn (Tigers, 3B) as active UWM alumni in MLB — but the Varsho-Blubaugh pairing in Houston is the standout storyline. Two guys from the same UWM program, in the same bullpen and lineup card, competing in the American League pennant race stretch.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee isn't a program that routinely sends players to The Show. When it does, having two of them on the same team at the same time is a footnote worth remembering — especially when one of them is hitting home runs in late September.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Report | MLB | Aug. 30–Sept. 5

When the Houston Astros look to the outfield and the bullpen during their late-season grind, two Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers are answering the call. Outfielder Daulton Varsho and reliever AJ Blubaugh both made their presence felt across a busy week for Houston, and the timing couldn't be better.

Varsho Finds His Footing

The bigger story belongs to Varsho, who has spent much of 2026 carrying the weight of expectations that came with landing in Houston. A feature from The New York Times captured it plainly: Varsho felt pressure all season. Now, he's starting to "have fun."

The numbers from this week suggest that shift is real. On Thursday against the White Sox — a 6-2 Houston win — Varsho went 1-for-the-game with two RBI and a run scored, contributing directly to an offensive outburst that also featured Jose Altuve's 15th home run of the season and run production from Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. Varsho was back in the starting lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks, hitting out of the five-hole in center field and going 1-for-3 as Houston took a 3-1 victory. He also chipped in an RBI on Aug. 30 against the Mets.

His batting average settled at .227 by week's end — not a line that turns heads, but the trajectory matters more than the number right now. Three multi-game contributions in six days from a player who'd been grinding through a tough stretch is exactly the kind of momentum a contender needs heading into September.

Blubaugh Holds the Line

While Varsho provides pop, Blubaugh provides stability. The right-hander worked in three appearances this week and didn't blink. Against the Mets on Aug. 30, he threw two clean innings with two strikeouts. He followed that with a scoreless inning of work against the White Sox on Thursday, adding another strikeout. Saturday against Arizona, he faced a tougher test — 1.2 innings, two strikeouts, one earned run — but his season ERA remained a tidy 3.07 by week's close.

For a bullpen leaning on depth in a pennant race, a reliever who eats innings and keeps his ERA under 3.10 in September is worth his weight in roster spots.

The Bigger Picture

Two Panthers, one contender, and a stretch run that will define Houston's season. Varsho's rediscovered enjoyment of the game and Blubaugh's quiet consistency aren't glamour stats — they're the kind of contributions that separate teams that hold on from teams that fade. Wisconsin-Milwaukee's MLB footprint in 2026 runs straight through Houston, and for Astros fans watching every game matter, that's a good place to be.