Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on track to rejoin the Blue Jays this weekend after clearing his final concussion tests, with manager John Schneider saying Friday that the slugger is close to being activated from the injured list.
"He felt good. These last couple of days, even before he left to play in Clearwater (on a rehab assignment), he was feeling good," Schneider said, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "He's feeling normal, so that's a good thing."
Guerrero is set to take batting practice Friday at Yankee Stadium, according to Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae. Unless something changes, Toronto expects him to come off the IL and play Saturday against the New York Yankees.
The injury happened last Friday in Toronto, when Guerrero took a knee to the head from Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. while running the bases. He exited soon after and later dealt with a headache, which led the Blue Jays to place him on the seven-day concussion IL.
The 27-year-old got back into game action Thursday with Single-A Dunedin, going 1-for-1 with an RBI double and two walks in three plate appearances.
It’s been a rough year at the plate for Guerrero. He’s hitting a career-low .263/.337/.356 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs across 115 games, and he posted a .610 OPS in August before the injury stopped him in his tracks.
Toronto has had to patch things together at first base in his absence. Kazuma Okamoto, the team’s everyday third baseman, and rookie Charles McAdoo have handled the spot over the past week, while outfielder Daz Cameron has also given the club a lift after being called up following Guerrero’s injury. Cameron has gone 4-for-11 with a homer and two RBIs.
The Blue Jays have also kept themselves in the race. After dropping 10 games under .500 on July 28, they’ve won 14 of their last 21 to get back into the AL playoff picture. Entering Friday, the reigning American League champions were sitting just a half-game behind the Minnesota Twins for the final wild-card position.
Toronto also made a few roster moves before Friday’s game. Right-hander Spencer Arrighett, acquired from the Houston Astros in a deadline-day trade, was reinstated from the IL, outfielder Davis Schneider was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, and utility player Josh Smith was placed on the 10-day IL with hamstring inflammation.
In Other News...
Padres Have A New Late-Inning Weapon Drawing Serious All-MLB Buzz
The All-MLB conversation is already starting to take shape, and for clubs around the league, it is a useful snapshot of which pitchers are forcing their way into the seasons biggest honors discussion. The projections lean heavily on current performance, with names like Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Snchez and Dylan Cease headlining the starting group while high-impact relievers such as Mason Miller and Louis Varland have also pushed their way into the picture.
For a Blue Jays team that knows how quickly late-inning arms can change the feel of a series, the reliever debate is the most interesting part of the board. Miller and Varland are drawing serious buzz as the kind of weapons that can reshape October expectations, but these All-MLB predictions remain just that for now, a snapshot of where the season stands before anything is officially handed out. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Broadcast Crew Still Earned Respect During A Tough Transition
Awful Announcings latest local MLB broadcast rankings offered a small reminder that the Blue Jays television crew still carries real weight with viewers, even through change. In a vote based on more than 85,000 ballots, Torontos Dan Shulman, Joe Siddall and Hazel Mae finished eighth, sliding from fourth a year ago but still holding a spot among the sports more respected booths.
The drop was tied in part to Buck Martinezs retirement, a shift that naturally altered the familiar rhythm for Blue Jays fans. Even so, the result shows the audience has not drifted far from the crew, and it also places Toronto in a category that included the Padres Don Orsillo and Mark Grant at No. 1 for a second straight year, a useful benchmark for how strong the competition remains. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Have Found A Serious Bat Far Later Than Expected
Jake Bennett has made an early impression in Dunedin, and it is not hard to see why the Blue Jays were drawn to him in the draft. The club took him in the eighth round largely because of the bat, and through his first 12 games with Single-A Dunedin, he has given that evaluation some real traction with four home runs and a .940 OPS. The extra-base damage has been the headline, even if the approach still comes with a fair amount of swing-and-miss.
What makes Bennett especially interesting is how much room there still is for the Blue Jays to sort out the rest of the profile. His defensive home is not settled yet, with catcher, first base and designated hitter all in the mix, which leaves Toronto with a pretty straightforward question: how much of his value will come from the bat alone? For now, the organization can at least feel encouraged that a late-round pick is already forcing a closer look. [Read more 🡒]