Knee injury to cost Vlad Jr. at least 4 weeks
TORONTO -- Blue Jays top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be out for at least the next four weeks after he was diagnosed with a strained patellar tendon in his left knee.Guerrero sustained the injury during a game for Double-A New Hampshire on Wednesday. He later underwent a series of examinations,
TORONTO -- Blue Jays top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be out for at least the next four weeks after he was diagnosed with a strained patellar tendon in his left knee.
Guerrero sustained the injury during a game for Double-A New Hampshire on Wednesday. He later underwent a series of examinations, which revealed the strain. Per the Blue Jays, Guerrero will be "managed conservatively, including initial rest and will be re-evaluated in four weeks post-injury."
The 19-year-old Guerrero is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, trailing only Atlanta's
One of the biggest debates surrounding the Blue Jays this season was when Guerrero would get called up to the big leagues. He seemed to be on the verge of an imminent promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, and this injury will be considered a setback. But if Guerrero recovers as expected, there's no reason to believe he won't eventually head to the Bisons before the end of the year.
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Injury updates
• There has been no change in Josh Donaldson's status since the last time the Blue Jays provided an update on Friday afternoon. Donaldson continues to take batting practice and field ground balls, but he will have to complete a series of baserunning tests before returning to the lineup. Donaldson has been out since May 28 with a sore left calf. He is currently eligible to come off the disabled list, but it's not clear when the 32-year-old will return to the lineup. He remains day to day.
• Right-hander
• Left fielder Steve Pearce is set to face live pitching this week for the first time since he was placed on the 10-day DL with a strained oblique. The 12-year veteran has been out since May 2, but there's an outside chance that he will begin a rehab assignment by the end of the week.
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• The Blue Jays optioned left-hander
Gregor Chisholm has covered the Blue Jays for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB and Facebook, and listen to his podcast.