The Toronto Blue Jays have high hopes for their young third baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and for obvious reasons thanks to his genes. Although, those expectations will have to be put on hold for a minute, as Guerrero will miss at least three weeks with a strained oblique muscle. The injury occurred during a Spring Training game on Friday, as general manager Ross Atkins made the announcement on Sunday morning. So far this spring, the 19-year-old is batting just .211 with no home runs and one RBI, but he has been focusing more on his conditioning.
If the Blue Jays want to retain Guerrero for another season, they will have to hold him in the minor leagues for 15 days to begin the regular season. This will come with much controversy after the slugger hit .381 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs at the minor league level last season. The Chicago Cubs faced the same problem when they held Kris Bryant back in his rookie season during the 2015 campaign, but that has since worked out fairly well for both sides.
With Guerrero missing three weeks, that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League schedule, as well as their exhibition series with the Milwaukee Brewers in Montreal Quebec, Canada. That will hurt the most for the young star, as that is where he was born. He is also expected to miss Opening Day, which is scheduled for March 28th at the Rogers Centre against the Detroit Tigers.
If the Blue Jays want to retain Guerrero for another season, they will have to hold him in the minor leagues for 15 days to begin the regular season. This will come with much controversy after the slugger hit .381 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs at the minor league level last season. The Chicago Cubs faced the same problem when they held Kris Bryant back in his rookie season during the 2015 campaign, but that has since worked out fairly well for both sides.
With Guerrero missing three weeks, that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League schedule, as well as their exhibition series with the Milwaukee Brewers in Montreal Quebec, Canada. That will hurt the most for the young star, as that is where he was born. He is also expected to miss Opening Day, which is scheduled for March 28th at the Rogers Centre against the Detroit Tigers.