Notes: Guerrero at DH; Hatch set for debut

TORONTO -- The second day of the season is earlier than we expected to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. take his first designated hitter day for the Blue Jays, but this is all part of a larger plan set out by manager Charlie Montoyo for 2020.

Even in a 60-game season, Guerrero, the club’s new first baseman, is expected to see regularly scheduled days as the DH, likely on day games following night games. Montoyo can turn to Travis Shaw at first, like he did on Saturday, along with Rowdy Tellez or Cavan Biggio, while still keeping Guerrero’s bat in the lineup for as many games as possible.

A DH day isn’t as simple as it looks, though.

“That’s something I knew I was going to do, so I had him talking to people that DHd before, like David Ortiz and guys like that,” Montoyo said. “He knows how to do it. If you’ve never DHd before, it’s not that easy, but he’s been talking to those guys so he can have some kind of routine.”

The challenge for a DH is staying sharp and engaged, especially when they’re going an hour between at-bats without playing the field. Some DHs, for example, like to go down the tunnel and hit off a tee between trips to the plate. This is particularly important for Guerrero, who’s continuing to focus on elevating the ball after putting far too many balls on the ground in 2019.

“That’s what I’ve been working on, especially when we got back in Summer Camp, working in the cage with [hitting coach] Guillermo [Martinez],” Guerrero said. “I’m doing some drills and trying to loft the ball, put the ball in the air. So far, so good.”

Power isn’t an issue. If Guerrero squares up, the ball leaves the yard. Launch angle is still an issue, though, and after tiring in late 2019, he’s identified one specific part of his swing that he thinks will make the difference.

“I’m trying to have a little more extension,” Guerrero said. “I think that will be the key for me to put the ball in the air more often.”

Hatch leapfrogs rotation depth
Montoyo is turning to No. 23 prospect Thomas Hatch on Sunday, which will mark the right-hander’s MLB debut. Hatch did himself plenty of favors in Summer Camp to earn the nod over Anthony Kay and Ryan Borucki. This job will belong to No. 1 prospect Nate Pearson soon enough, who’s on the taxi squad now with Borucki. It sounds like Borucki is knocking on the door, though, for some sort of role on the active roster.

“He’s going to be an option, for sure,” Montoyo said. “We’ve got to be careful with him, but what I like about him is that he’s bouncing back really good. That’s good news for us. I see him active pretty soon. You’ll see him pretty soon.”

Extras
• There’s a fine balance to carrying a starting pitcher on the taxi squad. Montoyo says those pitchers will throw bullpens, but if there’s a sense they won’t be activated soon, the club will send them back to the alternate training site in Rochester, N.Y., so that they can stay fully stretched out. Pearson is due to join the rotation soon, but that suggests you could see more of a revolving door on the taxi squad instead of one “next arm up" who sticks for weeks at a time.

• Behind Shaw at third base, expect to see Santiago Espinal against lefties or Joe Panik against righties while they’re both on the roster.

• With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back in the lineup after dealing with some left side discomfort, expect the Blue Jays to subtract from their six-man outfield group if they need to add a pitcher at any point soon.

• Montoyo continues to talk up right-hander Sam Gaviglio, who he says he's comfortable using in earlier high-leverage situations when his back-end arms need a break. A.J. Cole is another name he's mentioned, as the right-hander is expected to see middle-inning work with the potential to grow into a bigger role.

Up next
The Blue Jays are turning to rookie right-hander Hatch in Sunday's series finale against the Rays. Hatch had a great Summer Camp in Toronto that caught the eye of pitching coach Pete Walker, who called him the "sleeper of the group" with stuff that's "quietly electric." First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET. Watch all the action live on MLB.TV.