Vlad Jr. day to day; MRI shows 'nothing major'
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TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is dealing with inflammation in his left knee after leaving Saturday’s game, an MRI showed, but the third baseman has avoided anything more serious.
“They got the MRI on me. There was nothing major, just a little bit of inflammation on my knee,” Guerrero said. “I feel a lot better today. We’re just going to be cautious about it.”
This is the same knee that gave Guerrero trouble in 2018, when he missed nearly a month and a half of the Double-A season with a strained patellar tendon. Guerrero clarified that this was a different situation, though, and not as serious.
Last year’s injury left Guerrero unable to walk comfortably in the days that followed, but the 20-year-old is moving without any visible issues after tweaking his knee this time.
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“I didn’t feel that uncomfortable, because I knew it wasn’t that bad,” Guerrero said. “I just wanted to be cautious about it, and I just decided at that particular moment that I should stop and talk to the trainers. Just to be safe.”
The injury took place when Guerrero fielded a ground ball in Saturday’s game against the Mariners as he cut in front of shortstop Bo Bichette and made an awkward throw back across his body to first base. Guerrero wasn’t able to get the runner at first, but after the game, his teammate made it clear that he thought Guerrero made the right play by charging the ball.
“Every time the third baseman can get to it, they need to go get to it,” Bichette said. “I’m running away from first base and he’s running [toward] it, so when he called me off, it’s his ball.”
Guerrero’s injury is considered day to day for the time being, and the Blue Jays won’t rush their young star back into action until he is completely healthy. Guerrero has that on his mind, too, and he won’t push to come back until he’s ready.
“I’m not going to put a day [on it],” Guerrero said. “I’m the kind of player that likes to go out there and play very hard. When I feel that my knee is fully recovered, I’m going to go out there.”