MRI shows no hamstring damage for Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he wanted to be cautious with Guerrero and that the five-time All-Star could return Wednesday afternoon for the finale of the three-game series.
Guerrero left Monday night's 5-2 loss to the Pirates in the fifth inning with hamstring tightness following a pair of stellar defensive plays.
Skenes shines, Pirates capitalize on Blue Jays' errors in 5-2 win
Guerrero did the splits twice at first to snag tosses from teammates, the last a pretty pick of a long throw by shortstop Bo Bichette to retire Jared Triolo to end the third. Guerrero returned to play the field in the fourth before being replaced by Ty France when his turn in the batting order came around in the top of the fifth.
France started at first base on Tuesday.
'We're just trying to as careful as we can with him and I'm glad we kind of got him out of there when we did,' Schneider said of Guerrero. 'I think he was a little reassured, as were we, with the results (of the MRI). We can't afford to miss him for an extended period.'
Guerrero is hitting .298 with 21 home runs and 69 RBIs in 124 games this season. The Blue Jays signed the 26-year-old to a 14-year, US$500-million contract extension earlier this year.
The Blue Jays entered Tuesday with a 73-53 record, best in the American League. They were five games ahead of the New York Yankees and Boston in the AL East.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. 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Article content According to FanGraphs, a regularly visited baseball website that provides all kinds of meaningful and meaningless stats, the Blue Jays have a 95.5% chance of appearing in the post-season. Article content Given the club sits atop the AL East and trails only Detroit for the best record in the division with 34 games remaining in the regular season, failure to advance to baseball's second season amounts to a 100% embarrassment. Article content Article content A series loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates doesn't exactly inspire much confidence as a three-game set in Miami begins Friday night, an occasion that will usher in the debut of former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber and the expected return of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose left hamstring inflammation forced him to leave the series opener at PNC Park. Article content Article content When he returned, the corresponding roster move involved Joey Loperfido being sent down to Triple-A. Article content At the end of the day, clubs are measured on wins and losses. Article content The Jays have done their fair share of wins. Article content Article content In fact, 74 wins have been compiled to match last season's combined total. Article content Bieber has the pedigree and profile to have an impact on the handful of starts he's likely to get as the regular season winds down, but he's also coming off Tommy John surgery. Article content He hasn't pitched in the big leagues since April of last season when he was a member of the Cleveland Guardians. Article content The Jays have a veteran-laden starting rotation that is quite deep. Article content Routine defines baseball and having a six-man rotation can be delicate, which is why Eric Lauer will be available out of the bullpen, at least for the time being. Article content The Jays have feasted at home and have brought the baseball buzz back to the city and by extension to the country, but the club's playoff-worthiness will soon be tested, if it hasn't already. Article content All these feel-good stories involving relatively unsung players, positional or pitching, sounds uplifting, but no one knows how the likes of an Addison Barger, Ernie Clement or a Brendon Little, among others, will handle the upcoming glare and scrutiny.
