The Toronto Blue Jays have suddenly found themselves right back in the mix for the final American League wild card spot.
Toronto has continued to stack series wins, and heading into Tuesday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays they sit just 0.5 games back of holding a postseason spot.
Unfortunately, the Blue Jays have been battling without the face of the franchise in first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the past two games.
During Friday’s win against the New York Yankees, Guerrero was inadvertently struck by Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. in the head while attempting to score from third base.
He was removed from the game and after the contest reported having a headache. On Saturday, the Blue Jays placed Guerrero on the 7-day injured list with a concussion.
Fortunately, Toronto received the first positive update on Guerrero’s condition hours before first pitch on Tuesday.
“Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (concussion) is going through a light on-field workout at Tropicana Field this afternoon, including activation drills, jogging, etc. He wouldn’t be doing that if his symptoms hadn’t improved in recent days,” reported Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.
Guerrero is first eligible to come off the injured list on Friday, as his placement was backdated to the day he first experienced the concussion symptoms.
The 27-year-old is in the midst of the worst season of his career. Across 430 at-bats he has posted a .263 batting average, .337 on-base percentage, .693 OPS, seven home runs and 46 RBIs.
However, given Guerrero’s track record and his ability to rise to the occasion, the Blue Jays will clearly need his bat in the lineup as the season winds down.
