Guerrero Jr. doesn’t hold back in return from knee injury doing it all for Blue Jays

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. missed almost the final two weeks of Toronto Blue Jays spring coaching video games as a consequence of proper knee irritation. It was nothing too severe — no purpose to panic. But have a look at the calendar. It’s not but St Patrick’s Day. There’s nonetheless loads of runway till video games start to depend. This time of yr, it is sensible to take each precaution. Why push something?

Anyway, right here’s Guerrero completely gunning it to beat out a groundball throughout his first in-game plate look for the reason that harm:

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That’s a home-to-first time of 4.79 seconds, solely two-tenths of a second off Guerrero’s 2022 season common. His 28.2 foot-per-second dash velocity was the quickest he’s recorded in a tracked recreation this spring and would have ranked inside his 50 quickest sprints up the primary final analysis final season.

If there was any concern in regards to the knee challenge limiting his mobility, Guerrero did every thing he might to instantly alleviate it. But what about his potential to rotate and generate energy along with his decrease half on the plate? Well, right here’s what Guerrero did in his subsequent plate look:

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That’s a 113.6-m.p.h. missile — Guerrero’s hardest-hit tracked ball to this point in Blue Jays camp and the second-hardest off a Toronto bat this spring — that went from barrel to outfield grass in underneath three seconds. It was hit so onerous that Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds had solely taken a step-and-a-half in earlier than he realized the ball was crusing over his head.

“Yeah, he was going,” stated Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider. “I think he wants to test himself a little bit. He’s gone through all the stages to get back. So, I think he wanted to give it a realistic go.”

Guerrero even added a nine-pitch plate look in his third journey of the day for good measure, fouling off three two-strike choices earlier than flying out 323 ft to right-centre subject. There was no holding something again. No easing his approach in. Guerrero went full-send as quickly as he had the chance.

That says one factor in regards to the type of competitor he’s. Another about how robust his knee’s feeling after giving it time to heal. And maybe yet another a couple of want to show his readiness ought to there be a chance this weekend to hitch his countrymen representing the Dominican Republic on the World Baseball Classic.

“Everything went well. I feel good with my knee. I’m glad I had some action — that I could run the bases. That I could feel how it really feels,” Guerrero stated by way of membership interpreter Hector Lebron. “When you come off of an injury like that, of course, you want to practice that in the game. You want to feel how it really is — if it feels really good in a game. It’s not the same when you’re practicing running the bases. I’m very happy that happened — that I could prove that my knee felt good.”

Guerrero initially skilled his knee discomfort whereas working the bases in a recreation on March 3, and though an MRI didn’t reveal any structural issues, the Blue Jays have approached the state of affairs with comprehensible warning. That’s how Guerrero ended up sidelined for so long as he did with a problem that probably wouldn’t have despatched him to the injured checklist throughout the common season.

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Ultimately, Guerrero was out of video games for 11 days. But he remained very energetic at Toronto’s participant improvement complicated all through, taking stay batting apply and finishing drill work at first base. He ran the bases at full depth over the weekend and hit in opposition to Adam Cimber on Tuesday. His return-to-play development was a deliberate one.

The Blue Jays mentioned easing Guerrero again into motion with some video games as a chosen hitter however had been assured sufficient within the readiness he’d demonstrated in prior days to check him instantly with 5 innings at first base.

“I feel pretty good. Almost 100 per cent,” Guerrero stated. “I lost a week, week-and-a-half. I thought it was going to slow me down a little bit. But, actually, with the at-bats today, I felt pretty good. So, I’m almost there.”

The WBC uncertainty is all that is still after Guerrero answered each different query anybody might have had on Wednesday. Guerrero withdrew from the primary spherical of the event after struggling the knee harm, however notably left open the opportunity of taking part within the knockout levels — well being prepared.

Of course, the Dominican staff should get there first, with a winner-moves-on conflict with Puerto Rico on faucet Wednesday at 7:00 pm ET. But ought to the Dominicans prevail, there may be not less than curiosity on Guerrero’s half in becoming a member of the staff for the quarterfinals in Miami this weekend.

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It’s truthful to imagine the curiosity stage from a Blue Jays perspective is considerably much less sturdy. You don’t want a ZIPS projection — which forecasts Guerrero main the Blue Jays in most offensive classes this yr, together with a monstrous 148 wRC+ — to know how immensely necessary the soon-to-be 24-year-old’s contributions are to Toronto’s season.

With a bullet already dodged earlier this spring, and Guerrero nonetheless constructing as much as enjoying full video games, the concept of quickly rising stress and depth in a do-or-die quarterfinal would understandably trigger some unease inside Toronto’s entrance workplace and training workers.

Sure, Guerrero might additionally get injured in Grapefruit League play. That’s how he obtained injured within the first place. But the strain to push himself and check bodily limits might be larger in a WBC surroundings, which will increase the opportunity of an unlucky consequence. Modern MLB golf equipment, which meticulously observe, assess, and handle workloads in spring coaching, understandably need to preserve as many variables inside their management as potential.

Speaking Wednesday morning, Schneider stated Guerrero had but to method him about the opportunity of becoming a member of the Dominican Republic and that the present precedence for all concerned is getting the primary baseman by way of his return to play development.

“We all understand his passion for the country,” Schneider stated Wednesday morning. “I think everyone’s focus right now is just on him being healthy and playing for the Jays.”

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And did Guerrero’s efficiency Wednesday afternoon give Schneider any extra confidence that Guerrero might be prepared to leap straight from spring coaching ball to WBC play by the weekend?

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Schneider stated after Wednesday’s recreation. “We’ll see how he is tonight and see how he is [Thursday] and go from there. But I’m happy that he looked good today — for him and for us.”

For his half, Guerrero’s saying all the best issues. That the well being of his knee and the success of the Blue Jays are his priorities. After Wednesday’s efficiency, Guerrero echoed Schneider’s tact.

“I’m going to take this day-by-day. It all depends how I feel. Right now, I feel great. But I don’t know how I’m going to feel [Thursday,]” Guerrero stated. “First thing’s first — my knee. I want to make sure that everything is perfect with my knee. We’ll see how it feels [Thursday] and then we’ll see what happens.”

Like he stated, we’ll see. What we all know Wednesday is Guerrero can dash, he can barrel a baseball, and he can work a protracted, aggressive plate look. He had no purpose to push something throughout his first recreation motion in almost two weeks. But then Guerrero stepped on the sphere — and located he additionally had no purpose to not.

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