Vlad Jr. out with strained left oblique

Much of the discussion surrounding Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this spring has revolved around when he will make his inevitable Blue Jays big league debut. That date will be delayed.
MLB.com's top overall prospect suffered a Grade 1 strain of his left oblique on Friday and is expected to miss about three weeks, the team announced Sunday.

"In his last at-bat, he felt a sharp pain in his side, which for the first time for any young player is a frightening feeling. And, fortunately, it is just a Grade 1 and it's something we'll be able to manage," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told MLB.com.
"He has a very aggressive swing, which is part of the reason. We'll be very careful and ensure that he is ready for that cage work, and there will be less rotational work for the next week."
Guerrero played in six Grapefruit League games and posted a .211/.250/.316 slash line with two doubles and one RBI.
The Blue Jays' top prospect completed his third professional season in 2018 but already is regarded as one of the best hitting talents to come through the Minor Leagues in recent years. The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero batted an eye-popping .402/.449/.671 in 61 games with Double-A New Hampshire before a 30-game stint at Triple-A Buffalo brought his season line to .381/.487/.636 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs.

Guerrero collected a trophy case full of awards last season, getting named to the Eastern League's midseason and end-of-season All-Star teams, MLB Pipeline's Hitter of the Year, the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Game and All-Prospect Team as well as claiming MiLB.com Organizational All-Star accolades for the third straight season.
Guerrero's recovery timetable roughly coincides with the start of the Minor League season. The third baseman likely will head for a rehab assignment in the Jays system before possibly reaching the Majors in late April.
"He's so upbeat and positive," Atkins told MLB.com. "The most discouraging thing for him is that he's not playing in baseball games. He loves to compete. He loves to play and he'll see this as an opportunity to get better."