Vladimir Guerrero's MRI on left hamstring shows no damage as he sits for Blue Jays versus Pirates

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — An MRI performed on Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s tight left hamstring showed no damage, though he was not in the lineup on Tuesday night for the Blue Jays' game in Pittsburgh.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he wanted to be cautious with Guerrero and that the five-time All-Star could return Wednesday afternoon for the finale of the three-game series.

Guerrero left Monday night’s 5-2 loss to the Pirates in the fifth inning with hamstring tightness following a pair of stellar defensive plays.

Guerrero did the splits twice at first to snag tosses from teammates, the last a pretty pick of a long throw by shortstop Bo Bichette to retire Jared Triolo to end the third. Guerrero returned to play the field in the fourth before being replaced by Ty France when his turn in the batting order came around in the top of the fifth.

France started at first base on Tuesday.

“We’re just trying to as careful as we can with him and I’m glad we kind of got him out of there when we did,” Schneider said of Guerrero. “I think he was a little reassured, as were we, with the results (of the MRI). We can’t afford to miss him for an extended period.”

Guerrero is hitting .298 with 21 home runs and 69 RBIs in 124 games this season. The Blue Jays signed the 26-year-old to a 14-year, $500-million contract extension earlier this year.

The Blue Jays entered Tuesday with a 73-53 record, best in the American League. They were five games ahead of the New York Yankees and Boston in the AL East.

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