Vladdy participates in on-field workout, hits from cage before Rays' opener

ST. PETERSBURG -- Four days into his stint on the seven-day concussion injured list, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is making significant strides in his recovery.

The Blue Jays’ star went through an on-field workout at Tropicana Field prior to the team’s series opener against the AL East-leading Rays on Tuesday. He went through drills, ran on the field and hit inside the batting cage. It was Guerrero’s greatest amount of baseball activity since he went on the IL on Saturday, one day after a collision at third base with the Yankees’ George Lombard Jr. left Guerrero concussed.

“Still kind of taking it day to day with him,” manager John Schneider said of Guerrero, “but good that he's doing stuff and feeling better.”

Guerrero could be activated from the injured list as early as Saturday. Schneider said he’s hoping for such an outcome, but the club will continue to monitor how the six-time All-Star is feeling over the next few days. Schneider said there’s a chance Guerrero could face live pitching while Toronto grinds through its three-game series against the Rays. That’s a possibility since the team is playing not too far from its Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Fla.

“As soon as he's ready, feeling good and cleared and he feels like he's got his timing, we're going to try to get him back in there,” Schneider said.

Guerrero is batting .263 with seven home runs and a .693 OPS in what has been a very frustrating year for him.