Augustus James Varland (born November 6, 1996) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Career

Varland graduated from North Senior High School in North St. Paul, Minnesota and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

at Concordia University, St. Paul. In 31 games at college, he was 16–7 with a 3.04 ERA. He also played in summer leagues for the Utica Blue Sox of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League and Willmar Stingers of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

Oakland Athletics

The

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

selected Varland in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB draft. He split his first professional season between the rookie-level Arizona League Athletics, Low-A

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont, United States, who were founded in 1994 as the Vermont Expos. They were members of Minor League Baseball, in the New York–Penn League (NYPL), ...

, and Single-A

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

. He made five appearances (four starts) with the High-A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

in 2019, posting a 2–1 record and 2.39 ERA with 27 strikeouts in innings pitched. Varland did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Athletics traded Varland and

Sheldon Neuse Sheldon Lynn Neuse ( ; born December 10, 1994) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, and in Nippon Profession ...

to the

in exchange for Adam Kolarek and Cody Thomas on February 12, 2021. Varland spent the year with the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, pitching to a 1–4 record and 5.71 ERA with 22 strikeouts in innings of work. On May 6, 2022, Varland was the starting pitcher in a game against the

Wichita Wind Surge The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Equity Bank Park. The Wind Surge were supposed to be ...

, for whom his brother Louie was the starting pitcher. He spent the entire 2022 season with Tulsa, struggling to a 4–4 record and 6.11 ERA with 85 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 7, 2022, the

selected Varland in the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

and he made the Brewers'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster out of spring training. Varland made his MLB debut on Opening Day (March 30), pitching in relief against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. He struck out the first batter he faced, Miles Mastrobuoni. Through seven appearances for Milwaukee, Varland held a 2.25 ERA with five strikeouts in nine innings pitched. In a May 15 appearances against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, he allowed nine earned runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout. He was designated for assignment by the Brewers the following day.

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

On May 22, 2023, Varland cleared waivers and was returned to the Dodgers organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

, where he made 30 appearances and logged a 2.16 ERA with 39 strikeouts in innings pitched. On August 15, the Dodgers selected Varland's contract, adding him to the major league roster. On August 23, Varland recorded his first career victory in the major leagues, beating the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

. He pitched in eight games for Los Angeles, allowing four earned runs in innings. On September 10, Varland was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list two days later, ending his season. Varland began the 2024 on the major league roster for the Dodgers season opening series in

Seoul, South Korea Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

and pitched to one batter before he was optioned back to Oklahoma City to start the minor league season. He made seven appearances in the majors, allowing two earned runs in six innings and 28 appearances for Oklahoma City for a 7.99 ERA before he was designated for assignment on July 30.

Chicago White Sox

On August 2, 2024, Varland was claimed off waivers by the

. In 19 appearances for the White Sox, he compiled a 1-0 record and 3.54 ERA with 24 strikeouts across innings pitched. Varland was optioned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

to begin the 2025 season.

Personal life

Varland's younger brother, Louie, is also a professional baseball player.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varland, Gus 1996 births Living people Arizona League Athletics players Baseball players from Minnesota Beloit Snappers players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Concordia Golden Bears baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players Oklahoma City Baseball Club players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Maplewood, Minnesota Sportspeople from Ramsey County, Minnesota Stockton Ports players Tulsa Drillers players Utica Blue Sox players Vermont Lake Monsters players Willmar Stingers players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players