Blue Jays 'playing it safe' as Guerrero exits with right knee discomfort

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from the Blue Jays’ Spring Training game against the Rays on Friday with right knee discomfort, the club announced.

Guerrero left the Blue Jays’ dugout in the second inning and walked towards the clubhouse, located beyond the right-field corner, followed by trainer Jose Ministral.

“Right now, we’re just checking it out and seeing how he is,” said manager John Schneider after Friday's 7-6 win. “It’s right knee discomfort and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. We’re playing it safe at this point.”

In Guerrero’s only plate appearance of the day in the bottom of the first, he bounced a single back up the middle off Drew Rasmussen that scored Bo Bichette from second. As the throw came home to challenge Bichette on a close play, though, Guerrero rounded first base and took second. Guerrero’s run from first to second did not look comfortable, but he stayed in the game for the final two outs of the inning.

“He kind of awkwardly went into second,” Schneider said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow, but we’re not too worried.”

Guerrero is scheduled to leave the club Sunday to head to the World Baseball Classic, where he’ll be part of a star-studded lineup for the Dominican Republic. The squad will be part of Pool D, which plays from March 11-15 at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Without knowing the severity, of course, it’s too early to know if this knee issue will have any impact on Guerrero’s participation. Following Friday’s game in Dunedin, though, the Blue Jays had no immediate plans to have Guerrero undergo an MRI or X-ray, and they instead plan to see how he feels on Saturday morning at the complex before deciding on next steps.