Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the power hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays, has been cleared to play after coming off the seven-day injured list. He will be in action on Saturday against the New York Yankees at their home stadium.
Guerrero was forced to exit a recent game against the Yankees in Toronto after a collision with George Lombard Jr., the rookie shortstop for New York. The incident occurred during a play at third base in the sixth inning of a 3-1 victory for Toronto.
During the collision, Guerrero slid into third base, and Lombard’s knee and thigh made contact with his head, causing Guerrero’s helmet to come off. Despite the impact, Guerrero managed to score the tying run before leaving the game.
After undergoing final concussion tests, Guerrero rejoined the team on Friday. He showed positive progress by participating in a minor league rehabilitation game for single-A Dunedin, where he hit a double and took batting practice.
For his return game against the Yankees, Guerrero was placed second in the batting lineup. This decision came after the Blue Jays suffered a 3-1 loss to the Yankees in the series opener on Friday. To accommodate Guerrero’s return, the team optioned Davis Schneider, an infielder/outfielder, to triple-A Buffalo.
Guerrero holds a batting average of .263 with seven home runs and 46 runs batted in (RBIs) this season. Before his injury, he had been hitting .310 (7 for 29) in the last seven games.