Already, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s knee feels better than it did when he exited a Grapefruit League game early two days ago.

On Sunday morning, he addressed his right-knee inflammation for the first time, describing it as “nothing serious, nothing major.” An MRI revealed no structural damage, but even so, the 23-year-old resolved to be patient with three and a half weeks remaining before opening day. That means taking it easy for the time being and withdrawing from the World Baseball Classic in order to prioritize his readiness for the Blue Jays.

"I've been feeling a lot better since that happened,” Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “This (team) is the priority for me right now. And I'm feeling a lot better."

Soon after officially cancelling his plans to join the Dominican Republic’s WBC team, he posted an Instagram story of a sleeping dog with the caption, written in Spanish, “sad just like me.” But on Sunday morning, he seemed to have accepted the fact that he would have to miss the tournament.