Blue Jays: When does not promoting Vladimir Guerrero Jr become ridiculous?

The top prospect in the minor leagues is now hitting .405 with an OPS over 1.100 in Double-A. When does it become ridiculous that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hasn’t moved up to at least Triple-A?

I’m not going to go over the reasons why the Blue Jays could use Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on their roster right now, mostly because we’ve already talked about it at length and the kid just keeps building a better case every day. Combine that with the tepid production they’ve received from hitters like Kendrys Morales, Randal Grichuk and others, and it’s easy to see why Blue Jays fans want to see the kid in the show.

The Blue Jays have their reasons for the decisions they’re making, and it’s not all just about money. Sure, money and contract control factor into the decision I’m sure, but at this stage it has to be about more than that, and it surely is. They want to see the teenager work on his defence, base running, and probably to experience the Double-A level for more than a month. Many folks thought he might spend the majority, if not all of the 2018 season in New Hampshire with the Fisher Cats, but it’s pretty obvious that he has bigger plans for his immediate future.

In fact, it’s getting to the point where the Blue Jays won’t be able to justify keeping him at this level for much longer, if they can even as of this writing. After Monday’s game, he now sits with a slash line of .405/.452/.667 with six home runs, 38 RBI, and 13 doubles. He’s also struck out just 13 times and walked 13 times in his 147 at bats, which is absurd for anyone, let alone a young man who can’t even buy his own beer in the United States. On Monday night he went 3-5, adding another home run and two more RBI, giving him 38 RBI in 32 games played. That’s not a typo either.

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I can see the argument for why the Blue Jays haven’t brought the phenom to Toronto yet, but I don’t think there’s any sense in leaving him in Double-A any longer. I’m sure part of the thinking is that if they promote him to Buffalo and he does the same thing there for a month or so, they’ll have no choice but to find a spot in Toronto by the summer. However, that’s not a good enough reason to leave him where he is, and he’s reminding all of baseball of that fact every time he steps on the diamond.

I started the season by saying that I thought he should spend the whole year in Double-A. A few weeks ago I was saying I could see him promoted for a September call-up. Now? I don’t even know anymore, but I’m not sure it matters what any of us think. This is a decision that the Canadian-born young man is making for the organization, and he’s leaving them no choice but to do something about it, and soon.

The slugger trolled the social media universe on Monday by posting an old photo of him in New York, where the Blue Jays begin a two game series on Tuesday with the Mets. It lead to several fans and writers speculating if the Blue Jays had called him up to make his big league debut, but that obviously wasn’t the case as he was in Hartford last night in a Fisher Cats uniform.

However, don’t be surprised if he’s on the move sometime soon, and for the Blue Jays’ sake I hope they at least consider a move to Buffalo sooner than later. Maybe they want to keep Guerrero and Bo Bichette together for awhile longer, or whatever their rationale might be for letting him continue to terrorize Double-A pitching, but it’s starting to feel like beating a dead horse, and that’s not good for anyone.

Next: Which "dead contract" has gotta go?