Blue Jays' Atkins: Service time not preventing Vladdy Jr. from reaching MLB

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins is adamant that top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will receive his much-anticipated call to the big club when the front office is convinced all areas of his game are major-league ready.

"We feel like there is a good opportunity in the minor leagues for (Guerrero) to become a better more well-rounded player than in the majors leagues," Atkins said, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Guerrero has been destroying Double-A pitching with New Hampshire. Despite being the youngest player in the Eastern League, the 19-year-old is hitting .405/.452/.667 with six home runs, 13 doubles, and just 13 strikeouts in 32 games.

By slowing Guerrero's major-league debut, the Blue Jays would delay his arbitration and eventual free agency. But Atkins said that delaying Guerrero's service time is not why he's currently still in the minors, and that will not factor into the decision when it comes time to potentially promote him.

"What I can tell you is service time is not going to be the issue," Atkins said. "That is not what this market deserves. It is not how anyone in this organization is wired."

While the Blue Jays want Guerrero to continue to work on his defense, there is another issue with where they would play him should they call him up. Josh Donaldson - in the final year of his deal - is at third base and the team would likely want to give Guerrero reps at his position rather than use him solely as the designated hitter, a position Kendrys Morales occupies. The Blue Jays would likely need to move the struggling Morales to accommodate a Guerrero promotion.

Teams such as the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves have enjoyed success promoting some of their top prospects recently. Rafael Devers took over the starting third base job in Boston last season, but there have been growing pains with his defense. Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar are both starting in the infield for the Yankees this season, while Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies have combined for 1.9 WAR this season in Atlanta. Devers, Torres, Acuna, and Albies are all under 22 years old.