The Toronto Blue Jays’ power hitter, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has been cleared to play after coming off the seven-day injured list. He will take the field against the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Guerrero sustained an injury during a game against the Yankees last week when he collided with George Lombard Jr., a rookie shortstop for New York, in a peculiar play at third base during the sixth inning of a 3-1 victory for Toronto.
The incident occurred when 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 collision, Guerrero managed to score the tying run before leaving the game.
Following his return to the team on Friday, Guerrero successfully passed his concussion tests and even participated in batting practice after playing in a minor league rehab game for single-A Dunedin on Thursday.
In the lineup for Saturday’s game, Guerrero was placed second after the Blue Jays suffered a 3-1 loss to the Yankees in the series opener on Friday. To accommodate Guerrero’s return, the Jays sent infielder/outfielder Davis Schneider to triple-A Buffalo.
Guerrero has been performing well this season, boasting a .263 batting average with seven home runs and 46 RBIs. Prior to the injury, he was hitting .310 in his last seven games.