The 2026 season has not gone according to plan for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After signing a 14-year, $500 million extension in 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays expected their franchise first baseman to build on one of the best years of his career.
But Guerrero has struggled to replicate last season’s performance, entering Friday batting .273 with four home runs, 32 RBIs and a .714 OPS through 77 games.
Those struggles continued Thursday as the Toronto Blue Jays opened a four-game home series against the Texas Rangers. Guerrero went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and was unable to spark Toronto’s offense in a 6-5 defeat, the club’s third consecutive loss. The setback dropped the Blue Jays to 39-42, leaving them 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East.
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Despite the result, manager John Schneider came away encouraged by Guerrero’s approach at the plate, particularly during an 11-pitch at-bat in the ninth inning.
“That was the most engaged I’ve seen him in a while,” Schneider said. “There were some really good signs from Vladimir today…. The last at-bat results in a K, but that’s the intensity and engagement we want every at-bat” (h/t David Singh of Sportsnet).
The club has remained publicly supportive of Guerrero throughout his difficult season. There’s still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the five-time All-Star, who helped lead the Blue Jays to their first World Series appearance since 1993.
Guerrero earned ALCS MVP honors after batting .397 with 29 hits, eight home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.289 OPS in 18 postseason games. He also led all playoff hitters in hits, home runs and RBIs while setting a new MLB single-postseason OPS record.
The Blue Jays are still confident Guerrero can rediscover that form, but the urgency to bounce back is growing. Toronto is playing way below its championship expectations, and its franchise player will need to heat up quickly if the club is going to climb back into contention during the second half of the season.
