Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. promoted to Triple-A Buffalo

MIAMI, FL - JULY 09: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
MIAMI, FL - JULY 09: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is finally being promoted to the next level, sources say, bringing him one step closer to the big leagues…

According to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star on Twitter, Major League Baseball’s number one prospect, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is being promoted to Triple-A. Baseball Toronto’s Keegan Matheson noted the possibility in a tweet days ago.

Griffin says that after joining his father, future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, in Cooperstown for the induction ceremony, the younger Guerrero will head west to join the Bisons in Buffalo. Additionally, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News confirms Guerrero’s promotion, noting it’ll either be Monday or Tuesday.

Update: The team has announced the promotion, saying he’ll make his Bisons debut on Tuesday.

Guerrero was reportedly set to be promoted to Buffalo prior to his knee injury but returned to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats after a brief rehab stint with the Dunedin Blue Jays.

This promotion comes as no surprise, seeing as Guerrero Jr., routinely seen obliterating baseballs for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, owns a 1.120 OPS in 61 games in the Eastern League.

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In 266 plate appearances for the Cats, Vlad has hit 14 home runs and 19 doubles, driving in 60 runs and striking out just 27 times while walking 21 times. With an overall slash line of .402/.449/.671, he’s collected 157 total bases.

Despite this ridiculous production in the upper minors, Jim Bowden of the Athletic cautions that Guerrero will not “bypass” Triple-A. Bowden says he spoke to Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro, who told him that Guerrero would be playing for the Bisons.

Overall, as expected as this promotion is, it’s still pretty exciting. Buffalo is one step closer to the big club, and now Guerrero, impressive and technically gifted, will be able to shine at a higher level. While he’s likely going to stay in Buffalo the rest of this season, it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to a higher calibre of pitching and the more competitive atmosphere of the International League.

We’ll continue to closely watch the young slugger as he tries to climb the minor league ladder in preparation of an eventual MLB debut.

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