The wait is over. Vlad Guerrero Jr. is being called up to the big leagues. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo made the official announcement Wednesday evening following a 4-0 loss to the Giants. The highly anticipated move came just hours after Guerrero went 2-for-5 with a home run in his final game for Triple-A Buffalo.
Here is more on the sensational rising star via MLB.com:
The 20-year-old missed almost all of Spring Training with a strained oblique muscle. Wednesday marked the first time this year Guerrero played three consecutive days, which was believed to be the final hurdle he needed to pass before a promotion. After Guerrero cleared that obstacle, the callup for Friday's series opener vs. Oakland became a foregone conclusion.
"This is a big moment for the Toronto Blue Jays," Montoyo said. "He's the No. 1 prospect in baseball. It's coming Friday. It's a big moment for us. Hopefully, he becomes what everybody thinks he's going to become. That's going to be good for all of us. The city of Toronto, the Blue Jays, the organization."
After months of non-stop hype and speculation, Guerrero closed out his Minor League career in style. In the top of the seventh inning, during Wednesday morning's game vs. Syracuse, Guerrero stepped into the box for his second-to-last at-bat and sent the ball deep over the wall in right for an opposite-field home run.
Guerrero likely finishes his time in the Minors -- minus any potential future rehab games -- with a career .331/.413/.531 slash line and 44 homers over parts of four seasons. In eight games for Buffalo this year, Guerrero hit .367 with three home runs, a double and eight RBIs over 30 at-bats. Outside of his defense, Guerrero had nothing left to prove in the Minors and should immediately step into a prominent role with the Blue Jays as their starting third baseman.
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