Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be promoted to Triple-A upon return
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The superstar prospect, who is currently nursing a minor knee injury, is set to return to baseball action in the next few weeks.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will soon be taking his talents to Western New York, says Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. Longley reports that Guerrero Jr. is most likely going to be promoted to Triple-A when he returns from the disabled list.
While his column doesn’t allude to a specific major league promotion, it hints that it’s logical that Guerrero will continue to climb the organizational ladder and make his way up to the big leagues rather soon.
Prior to this injury, Guerrero was reportedly “days away” from a promotion to Triple-A. Unfortunately for him, he strained his patella tendon and has since been rehabbing at the team’s Florida facility.
On the season, Vladdy has slashed a ridiculous .407/.457/.667 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. He’s also stolen three bases and has smashed 18 doubles and a triple. In addition to being the Blue Jays’ top organizational prospect, he is currently ranked as the top prospect in all of baseball on MLB Pipeline’s current 2018 prospect list.
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Just recently, Guerrero Jr. was named Baseball America’s midseason minor-league player of the year, despite missing the two weeks prior to the announcement with the aforementioned injury. Baseball America pointed to Vladdy’s 80 hitting grade as a main driving point behind being named the player of the year.
In the Baseball America report, one veteran scout said that Guerrero has “90 power” and that “they don’t build major league ballparks big enough to hold him”. All in all, he’s appeared in 53 games with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
While some fans may be frustrated by the organization’s patience with the young phenom, it isn’t without reason. Injuries aside, a young prospect’s development is important and delicate in many ways, and rushing it could lead to some less than favourable results.
Super prospect Vlad Guerrero Jr. headed to Buffalo when he returns from injury. #Bluejays #Bisons. https://t.co/n7tvTHgYZs
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) July 10, 2018
Regardless of your opinions on whether or not this move is coming at the right time, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for a struggling team that is hoping to steer its top prospect towards the big leagues with efficiency, prudence, and confidence.