The Toronto Blue Jays were perhaps given a minor blessing in disguise on Sunday, after 19-year-old phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain.
This is a minor injury that is only expected to cause Guerrero Jr. to miss three weeks of action, without any likely long-term implications. It may be the ideal outcome for the Jays, since it provides an organic resolution to an issue of some controversy: Guerrero Jr.’s service time.
With the way that the MLB’s rules are set up, the Jays would have lost an extra year of team control if Guerrero Jr. had started with the Jays for Opening Day; if they keep him in the minors for 15 days past the start of the season, they gain seven years on his contract instead of six.
Considering that Kris Bryant has filed a grievance against the Chicago Cubs for similar treatment in his 2015 rookie season, the Jays may be in a lucky position now that their decision seems to have been made for them by Guerrero’s injury.
With that said, Jays fans are going to be eager for the day that Guerrero Jr. is finally called up. Ranked as baseball’s top prospect and already being billed as the future of the Jays, just about everyone thinks that he’s ready for the majors — except for, conveniently, Toronto GM Ross Atkins.
