Blue Jays to option Lourdes Gurriel Jr., not call up Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Blue Jays will be optioning Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Bisons and will be selecting veteran infielder Eric Sogard to the roster, according to Baseball Toronto’s Keegan Matheson.

Gurriel, 25, has been struggling both at the plate and in the field to start the 2019 season. He graced the highlight reels last week, when he recorded a straight steal of home at Fenway Park; however, his appearances were shifted to the blooper reels this past weekend when he made two throwing errors on routine ground balls to second base. There were reports that the 2018 Blue Jays coaching staff were uncomfortable playing Gurriel at second base because they believed he wasn’t able to throw accurately at short tosses.

On Sunday, manager Charlie Montoyo elected to remove him from the field after a run-causing error that extended the third inning for starter Marcus Stroman. After Stroman was taken out of the game, he approached the young Cuban infielder to express his confidence in Gurriel’s defence.

Montoyo was clearly less confident in Gurriel, telling reporters after the game that it was “not out of the question” that Gurriel would be sent down to the minors, and that he was considering putting Gurriel in the lineup as the designated hitter “if” travelled with the team to play the Twins next week.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s bobblehead day is scheduled for April 24. Since there is a rule requiring players to spend at least 10 days in the minors after being optioned (unless it is the corresponding move for someone being placed on the injured list), Gurriel will likely miss his own bobblehead day.

The Blue Jays will be calling up Eric Sogard, who signed a minor league deal with the club in the offseason. Sogard, 32 and spectacularly bespectacled, last played in the majors last year with the Brewers. He started the 2019 campaign with the triple-A Bisons, hitting .267/.395/.433 with a homer and two doubles in nine games, playing both at second and at third. As Sogard is not on the 40-man roster, a corresponding move will need to be made tomorrow.

Sogard wore #5 in spring training and with the Bisons. As former manager John Gibbons wore that number during his tenure, Sogard could become the first Blue Jays player to wear #5 since Yunel Escobar.