The Blue Jays announced that first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been reinstated from the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Davis Schneider was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Guerrero returns after a minimal stint on the concussion IL, as he was placed on the injured list last Saturday. The team made the move after Guerrero slid headfirst into George Lombard Jr. in the Jays’ 3-1 win over the Yankees on August 14, and the somewhat precautionary placement has indeed proven to be relatively minor.
While getting past any concussion symptoms was naturally the chief priority of this IL stint, Guerrero’s absence could potentially be viewed as a reset opportunity within a hugely underwhelming season for the former All-Star. Guerrero is hitting just .263/.337/.356 over 486 plate appearances, none of his (only) seven home runs have come at Rogers Centre, and his power and hard-contact numbers are far below his career norms.
Despite Guerrero’s struggles and down years for several other key offensive players, the Jays are still only 1.5 games out of the final AL wild card slot. Getting even moderate production from Guerrero will be a big help for the hitting-starved Blue Jays, and if he can somehow regain his old form, that might be enough to get Toronto back to the playoffs amidst the parity of the American League.
Schneider heads back to Triple-A Buffalo just a day after he was called up as part of another set of roster shuffles, as Toronto activated Spencer Arrighetti from the 15-day IL and placed Josh Smith on the 10-day IL. Smith’s placement is retroactive to August 20, and the utilityman is dealing with inflammation in his left hamstring. Smith will undergo an MRI, but Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling writes that the hamstring issue isn’t though to be too serious.