The Blue Jays left Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out of the starting lineup Wednesday afternoon in Houston, a move driven by hamstring tightness after the All-Star first baseman looked uncomfortable running out a ground ball the night before.
Toronto turned to Kazuma Okamoto at first base and in the No. 2 spot in the order, while Guerrero remained available off the bench. Manager John Schneider said the issue has been building and described the day off as a chance to ease the load.
"He's grinding. I think everyone is," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
"He's had some hamstring tightness. It's a little bit of that to give him a blow, then a little bit of the quick turnaround, just to give him a reset.
He's feeling OK, but he's been dealing with that and some other things for a while."
Schneider said he does not expect Guerrero to need an injured-list stint. Toronto heads to Chicago for a single game Thursday before opening a three-game series in Philadelphia on Friday, and Schneider said he plans to keep checking in with his star first baseman.
"He wants to be out there. He wants to be contributing more than he is," Schneider said. "I'll talk to him today as the day goes, then when we get into Chicago."
Guerrero went 0-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to the Astros, and his season line has dipped to a career-low .259 with six home runs, 44 RBIs, a .338 on-base percentage and .349 slugging percentage.
Before Tuesday’s game, Guerrero said, "I have to start hitting," Guerrero said before Tuesday's game. "I think we've been playing good.
Sometimes, we get shut down, but it's always one game at a time. I need to get hot so that we can keep going and try to make the playoffs."
A six-time All-Star, Guerrero has spent his entire 1,093-game regular-season career in Toronto, where he is a .286 hitter with 189 home runs and 635 RBIs.
He also delivered a huge October last year, hitting .397 with eight homers and 15 RBIs in 18 playoff games as the Blue Jays reached the World Series before losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Guerrero was named ALCS MVP.
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