Blue Jays Skipper Gives Crucial Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Injury Update
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The Toronto Blue Jays seemed to have avoided what would have been a catastrophic injury to their superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when he exited the game early back on Aug. 18.
Described as having just hamstring tightness, the Blue Jays gave the slugger the next two days off against the Pittsburgh Pirates, not wanting to risk further injury at this point in the season when more important games are ahead.
Guerrero was largely expected to return this past Friday against the Miami Marlins, but when he was out of the lineup for Game 1, that started to raise some concerns. And then when he was on the bench for both Game 2 and the finale, there was some worry that this hamstring issue might be more severe than the team was letting on.
However, a lot of that was put to bed when he stepped into the batter's box on Sunday as a pinch-hitter, giving the fanbase a reason to exhale. While it made a ton of sense for Toronto to be cautious during a six-game stretch against the Pirates and Marlins, it still was sigh of relief when he took an at-bat.
Blue Jays Expect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. To Be In Lineup Going Forward
Hamstring injuries are tricky, and sometimes there is no telling how the body is going to react. However, it sounds like Guerrero will be in the lineup for the Blue Jays going forward based on manager John Schneider's comments.
"Going forward, I'd expect him to be back in there," the skipper said, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. "We wanted the at-bat today, and we're looking big picture with him."
That's a good sign for Toronto, because it's clear this is a lineup that needs their star. They have been one of the hottest teams in baseball at the plate during the summer months, which is exactly when they went on a tear and took over the top spot in the AL East.
But the Blue Jays will likely continue to be cautious with Guerrero, evident by them not putting him at first base following his pinch-hit at-bat, opting to move Ernie Clement to first with Davis Schneider taking over at third and Myles Straw being inserted into left field.
Toronto could look to use their slugger solely as a designated hitter for a while to keep his bat in the lineup while not putting more tension on his hamstring until he is 100% ready to play in the field once again.
Whatever keeps Guerrero healthy for the long haul is the best course of action, but it's a good sign that Schneider believes he'll be penciling his star into the lineup for the foreseeable future.
