The Toronto Blue Jays are making a notable change with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals as they look to complete an important weekend on the road.
Toronto enters the finale with plenty of momentum. The Blue Jays have won four straight games, including consecutive victories over the Royals, and moved above .500 for the first time since early April with Saturday’s 4-3 win. They are now 72-71 and tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the American League’s final wild card spot.
Guerrero has played an important role in that recent surge. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and a season-high five RBIs in Toronto’s 11-0 win over Cleveland on Sept. 2, then added a hit and scored a run in Thursday’s 6-3 victory.
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The six-time MLB All-Star followed that with two hits and a run in Friday’s 9-2 win over Kansas City before collecting another hit and scoring Saturday. Guerrero has seven hits, six RBIs and four runs in his last five games.
Guerrero has spent most of the season at first base, starting 112 games there. But the Blue Jays announced Sunday that he will serve as their designated hitter, with George Springer not in the starting lineup.
This is not the first time Toronto has used Guerrero at DH this season. He has made 14 appearances at the position, including May 3 against the Minnesota Twins, when he went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
The decision gives Guerrero another opportunity to focus solely on his bat as Toronto tries to solidify its postseason position. After a sluggish start to the year, the Blue Jays have put themselves back in the playoff picture and now have a chance to strengthen that position with another win.
Toronto will send Spencer Arrighetti to the mound Sunday against Kansas City’s Randy Dobnak. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium.
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