Now reporting to the bullpen ... Vlad Jr.?!?

July 7th, 2022

Every once in a while, after a bit of a frustrating at-bat, even the very best Major Leaguers can use a change of scenery. That was the case on Wednesday afternoon for the fun-loving Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who took an unfamiliar detour after bouncing out to shortstop in the eighth inning of Toronto's 2-1 victory.

It was his final at-bat of the day and Vlad Jr. sprinted down the line on the 6-3 putout. With his momentum already taking him past the bag, the Blue Jays slugger decided he might as well just ... keep going. He ended up strolling out to the visitor's bullpen, down the right-field line at the Oakland Coliseum, and took a seat to rest his weary legs.

Maybe he wanted a better view of the rest of the inning, or to regroup, or to get a few extra moments of shade before the long, sunny trek back to the dugout. Whatever his reasoning, the Toronto relievers seated on either side of him didn't even bat an eye, just rolled right along with it as though Vladdy might be getting ready to take a few warmup throws.

Blue Jays broadcaster Dan Shulman had a similar idea: "If he gets up on the mound and starts throwing, we'll have a story."

One can only hope we witness that at some point in Vlad Jr.'s career.