Blue Jays’ John Schneider Announces Vladimir Guerrero Jr. News Before Yankees Game

Vladimir Guerrero will miss his sixth straight game when the Toronto Blue Jays visit the New York Yankees.

by Ayomide Adeduyite

Aug 21, 2026

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27)

The Toronto Blue Jays are heading into their series against the New York Yankees in great form after taking two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto won Thursday’s finale 5-1 behind seven strong innings from Shane Bieber, securing the series and improving to 63-66. The Blue Jays will visit the Bronx, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still on the seven-day injured list after suffering a concussion.

Guerrero has steadily progressed since suffering the concussion in Toronto’s Aug. 14 win over the Yankees. The first baseman resumed baseball activities earlier this week, including running and activation drills, before hitting in the batting cage Tuesday.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27).

John Jones-Imagn Images

The six-time MLB All-Star continued his recovery Thursday, when he served as the designated hitter for Single-A Dunedin in Clearwater. He went 1-for-1 with an RBI double, a run scored and two walks in three plate appearances.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Friday that Guerrero is “feeling good.” He also confirmed that the $500 million star will hit in the batting cages, with the plan to have him in the lineup Saturday against the Yankees if everything goes well (via Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae).

Schneider had previously told reporters that Guerrero was “feeling better” and that the team was taking his recovery day by day. Schneider also said the plan was to get him back as early as Saturday barring any setback (via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi).

Guerrero entered the injured list batting .263 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs in 115 games. Those numbers are way below his usual production but his presence is still significant for a club in the thick of a competitive American League playoff race.

The Blue Jays are just three games shy of the .500 mark entering the weekend. The club currently holds the final spot in the AL wild card standings with 33 regular season games remaining.