Vlad is Coming to town

 
 Now try and sing with me, to the tune of Santa Claus is coming to town, "Vladdy is coming to town..." Okay, it's a stretch, I know, but boy when he comes, it's going to Christmas for the Blue Jays. It is going to happen in the next week and a half ( my prediction ). My best guess is May 6th, a Monday home game against the Twins. Otherwise, it could come earlier , like the 26th against the Athetics.

Let me first give some perspective on Vladdy......

Coach Bobby Meacham stood against the dugout railing before Thursday night's game explaining how the newest addition to his Buffalo Bisons lineup had found so much success at such a young age.
Then, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took the field in an International League game for the first time this season and put on an efficient demonstration of his manager's words.
The barely 20-year-old third baseman slammed the first ball he put in play hard off the wall the other way for an RBI double and pulled the next well over the fence for a three-run homer when the Bisons fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, 9-8, in a 10-inning game.
The Toronto Blue Jays prospect, serving as designated hitter for the night, showed why he is regarded as one of baseball's hottest up-and-coming players. He finished 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and four RBIs in his first game above Class A after having his spring disrupted by an oblique muscle injury.
"I felt very happy," Guerrero said through interpreter Tanya Bialostozky, a mental performance coach with the Blue Jays. "I was ready to work. I wanted to help out the team.

With service time issues now out of the way, the start of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era could soon be upon us.
Guerrero played his second game of the year with the AAA Buffalo Bisons on Friday night, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be down there for long.
“Our sense is that it’s sooner than later,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a scrum before Toronto began a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays with an 11-7 loss.
“There’s a lot of excitement in and around him for a good reason,” Atkins said of baseball’s No. 1 prospect who crushed a home run on Thursday.
The organization would like to see Guerrero get just a tad more work in the minors.
“For a player that has played as much as he has, as much success as he’s had, now it’s about getting built up and getting into really just regular season form and being hopefully ready to make a debut at some point soon,” Atkins said.
“So there are some other variables to that as we’ve talked about a lot. And we want to make sure that we get everything we can out of the minor leagues to ensure that there never is a day that we’re ever considering the minor leagues again … We’re not looking for him to check boxes, we’re looking for him to maximize this opportunity and this time to be the most well-rounded he can be before he transitions.” By Sunday Toronto will have ensured a seventh year of contractual control, so Guerrero could then be called up at any point.
Manager Charlie Montoyo estimated that 20-30 at-bats in Buffalo might be enough.

GROWTH WILL CONTINUE
The Jays believe Guerrero can still continue to improve and develop as a Major Leaguer and they will be patient.
“He’s going to make mistakes here, as we’ve seen from some of our young players that are transitioning. Mistakes are going to occur. But the foundation is what we’re pushing so hard for him to have,” Atkins said.
“And a lot of that is tapping into all the power he has, making sure that we’ve done everything from a performance standpoint to help his body be in the best possible position to execute all the plays that he can make – and has shown us he can make. Only we want to see him do it in a more consistent way. And that’s been the challenge. So there isn’t going to be a day where we say he’s done from a development standpoint because his development will continue here.” Regular starting third baseman Brandon Drury, who has struck out 12 times in his past 22 at-bats, with only one hit, was rested in favour of Richard Urena against Tampa Bay.

INJURY UPDATES APLENTY
There were plenty of injury updates from Montoyo and Atkins.
Starter Ryan Borucki received a cortisone shot in his elbow and will be re-evaluated in two weeks when he will begin throwing again.
“Just a mild setback, we hope is what it is,” Atkins said.
“He felt some pain again after a bullpen (session), so getting a cortisone injection will hopefully relieve that. The images are encouraging, that’s always a good sign.” Borucki’s continued absence could lead to more time in the rotation for Friday’s starter Thornton.
Meanwhile, reliever Ryan Tepera threw an inning with Buffalo on Friday and could return to Toronto soon, while starter Clayton Richard (knee) will begin with light catch this weekend. David Phelps (Tommy John Surgery) will start bullpen sessions next week. Devon Travis (knee surgery) will start baseball activities next week.
Starter Clay Buchholz will be added to the active roster, which means infielder Richard Urena is heading to the minors, despite a solid start.