Blue Jays' Belt Running Bases, Could Make Spring Debut Next Week

Brandon Belt is slowly ramping up after offseason knee surgery.

© Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

LAKELAND, FL — The Blue Jays are slowplaying Brandon Belt's return to action.

Belt has yet to make his debut in spring training, and manager John Schneider said the club is intentionally easing the 34-year-old into action as he rehabs from knee surgery last September.

"He's checking off all his boxes after the operation," Schneider said.

Brandon Belt is running the bases, per #BlueJays manager John Schneider.

Club planning for game action “maybe next week,” but that’s a loose timeline. The goal is for Belt to get 25 to 30 at-bats this spring as he ramps up after knee surgery.

— Ethan Diamandas (@EthanDiamandas) March 4, 2023

The goal is for Belt to play his first spring games "this time next week," Schneider said, though that timeline is flexible. Ideally, Belt needs just 25 to 30 at-bats before Opening Day, according to the Jays skipper. 

Belt's right knee has bugged him for some time. An issue with flaking cartilage mandated the latest cleanup procedure, as, at the time, Belt said his injury was so bad he had trouble chasing his kids around the yard.

That said, Belt didn't feel like his career was toast just yet. 

"I feel like I have so much left to offer," Belt said in January after signing a one-year, $9.3-million deal. 

Belt isn't the only Toronto first baseman managing an injury this spring. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exited Friday's contest with what the club described as "minor knee inflammation." An MRI revealed no structural damage, and the Blue Jays will monitor him on a day-to-day basis. 

Guerrero will not play at the World Baseball Classic because of his knee injury, the Blue Jays confirmed.