Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays endured one of their worst performances of the season Thursday, falling 13-2 to the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. The loss dropped Toronto to 65-70 and 3.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild card spot.
Guerrero struggled along with the rest of the lineup, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. The disappointing night came after he went 1-for-4 on Tuesday and 1-for-4 on Wednesday, and his batting average fell to .260. Fans at Rogers Centre also made their frustration known, with Guerrero receiving some of the loudest boos as Toronto suffered a lopsided defeat.
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Some fans have started calling for the Blue Jays to bench Guerrero, while others have gone as far as suggesting the team should trade its franchise first baseman.
“He’s done. Trade him for a bag of pucks while retaining 85% of his salary. What a disaster he is,” one fan wrote.
“Jays no choice but to beg somone to take Vlad in trade,” another fan added.
“bench him,” posted another.
“Why is Vladdy still in the line up?” asked one fan.
“Any other player in the Majors gets instantly benched for that.,” another said.
“The bench has to be calling,” one fan remarked.
“Why doesn’t he get benched???” another reacted.
Those calls come during a season in which Guerrero has struggled to match the production expected from a player who signed a $500 million, 14-year contract.
Through 120 games, Guerrero has recorded seven home runs, 46 RBIs, a .333 on-base percentage, .351 slugging percentage and .684 OPS. His August has been particularly difficult, as he is hitting just .231 with 15 hits, one home run, two RBIs and seven runs scored in 16 games.
The Blue Jays need Guerrero’s bat to come alive if they intend to make the playoffs. The club will hope Thursday’s performance was simply another bad night rather than a sign of a deeper problem.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays return to the field Friday to begin a series against a Seattle Mariners team that won two of its last three games against the Philadelphia Phillies.
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