Toronto Blue Jays uber-prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is ahead of schedule in his return from a Grade-1, left-oblique strain, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old slugger, who is generally considered the best prospect in the game, has started hitting in the cage, but there is no timetable for his return to game action.
He is scheduled to head to extended spring training then the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, added Sportsnet’s Arash Madani.
Guerrero Jr. suffered the injury in a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 8. He was expected to miss three weeks.
Davidi also reports that Trent Thornton has cracked the Blue Jays’ squad as its fourth starter, while Sam Gaviglio will be the team’s long man in the bullpen.
Meanwhile, both Ryan Borucki and Ryan Tepera played catch Tuesday in Dunedin, Fla. Borucki experienced elbow discomfort in his last start and the Blue Jays may sit him for his next outing due to precautionary reasons. Tepera, who has been dealing with elbow pain, could be ready by mid-April, according to Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo.
Clay Buchholz is slated to throw a 45-pitch outing Wednesday and then progress up to 75. Bud Norris also had a bullpen, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for opening day. Norris could need another bullpen or two and a minor-league stint.
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