Blue Jays Make Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Announcement After Cubs Game
Toronto Blue Jaysfirst basemanVladimir Guerrero Jr. has not had the season many were expecting out of the 27-year-old superstar. After last year's dream run to the World Series, Guerrero has followed it up with a lackluster 2026 season by his standards.
He is a five-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award winner across eight seasons in Toronto. This year, he has failed to provide any power.
Across 71 games, he has posted a .279 batting average, .367 on-base percentage, .739 OPS, four home runs and 30 RBIs. The Blue Jays have dealt with plenty of injuries that have contributed to their underwhelming season, but it is hard not to assign some of the blame to Guerrero for being just a league-average bat this year.
To make matters worse, Guerrero is now dealing with an injury. Last week, he missed two straight games against the New York Yankees with lower back tightness. He downplayed the issue and was fortunately able to rejoin the starting lineup after missing just those two games.
However, it appears the setback is not fully behind him. During Friday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs, Guerrero popped a fly ball to right field and immediately grimaced in pain, reaching for his lower back.
Toronto removed him from the game right away, replacing him with Charles McAdoo at first base. After the game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed he was removed with back tightness.
Fortunately, it was for precautionary reasons only. Guerrero is not scheduled to undergo any additional imaging at this time and is expected back in the lineup on Saturday. "I just want to be careful. Just checked with him, he's feeling better. Nothing like what it was when he missed a couple games," Schneider said (h/t Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr was removed from Friday's Blue Jays game precautionarily after experiencing some back tightness on a swing.
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) June 19, 2026
John Schneider: "I just want to be careful. Just checked with him, he's feeling better. Nothing like what it was when he missed a couple games." pic.twitter.com/0l4RHzC9oy
Still, given this is the second time in as many weeks that Guerrero has felt the same issue, the Blue Jays will likely take a more cautious approach with him moving forward.
It is still relatively early in the season, and while Toronto needs to start stacking wins, it is not worth risking Guerrero's long-term health to do it.
After all, he is the face of the franchise and is signed through a 14-year, $500 million contract, so he is here to stay well beyond this season.
Related: Blue Jays Facing Backlash After Roster News
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 2:49 PM.