Cal Raleigh reminded everybody on Monday night what a superstar burst can look like.
The Mariners catcher went deep three times in a 9-2 win over the Phillies on Aug. 24, putting together the first three-homer game of his career. It was a loud night, the kind that can cut through a frustrating season and reset the conversation around a player in a hurry.
That matters in Toronto, too.
Because the Blue Jays are still waiting for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to deliver that kind of jolt.
Raleigh entered the night with 14 home runs, a far cry from the 60 he launched a year ago. Even if nobody expected anything close to that again, a return to something around his usual 30-homer pace would have looked a lot more normal.
Instead, he has been stuck at 14, hitting .167 with an OPS of .618. That’s not the version of Raleigh anyone expected to see in 2026.
Guerrero’s season has carried a similar sense of disappointment for Blue Jays fans. The 27-year-old first baseman has just seven home runs to this point, and none of them have come at Rogers Centre as of Aug.
- The numbers don’t line up with the kind of production Toronto needs from a player in his salary range, and the gap has only grown harder to ignore as the season has gone on.
Right now, Guerrero is hitting .262 with a .688 OPS. For a middle-of-the-order bat, that’s a rough place to live.
Over the last month, he has even been outperformed by Andrés Giménez, who has put up a .298/.348/.381 line with a 107 wRC+. Guerrero, by comparison, has slashed .264/.293/.347 with a wRC+ of 80.
That’s the heart of it for Toronto. When Guerrero is driving the ball, the lineup looks different. When he’s rolling over pitches or settling for soft contact, opposing pitchers have a much easier path through the Blue Jays.
Raleigh’s night was a sharp reminder that one game can still flip the mood around a player. Seattle came in trying to hang around in the American League playoff picture, and Raleigh’s big night arrived at a time when his 2025 breakout had already given way to a more uneven 2026. For Toronto, the lesson is the same: one monster performance from Guerrero during the upcoming home stand would do a lot to ease the frustration around his season.
The Blue Jays have spent too much of this year waiting for that version of Guerrero to show up. Raleigh just showed how quickly things can change when it does.
In Other News...
Blue Jays May Finally Get Rotation Help At A Crucial Time
The Blue Jays have spent much of the summer juggling health updates, but there are finally a few signs that the picture could improve on the pitching side. Shane Bieber remains on the injured list with a shoulder issue, and Yimi Garcias thoracic outlet surgery has already ended his 2026 season, so Toronto has had to keep piecing things together while waiting for reinforcements. Andres Gimenez is back from a hamstring injury, and Josh Smith is continuing rehab work with a possible move into rehab games soon, which at least gives the club some momentum as it tries to stabilize its roster.
Jameson Taillon is the name that matters most in the short term, with a rehab start scheduled and a chance to rejoin the team next week. For a Blue Jays staff that has needed help at a crucial time, even one healthy arm can change the conversation, especially with rookie Trey Yesavage also slowly building back after knee surgery and starting to throw and play catch. The next few days should tell Toronto a lot about how quickly its rotation depth can begin to look less fragile. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Rare Chance To Fix A Lineup Need
The waiver wire rarely offers a real middle-of-August jolt, but Eugenio Surez suddenly gives the Blue Jays something they have been hunting for: a possible fix for the power shortage that has hung over their lineup all season. Cincinnati put Surez and outfielder TJ Friedl on waivers, and Toronto is at least looking at Surez as a way to add another established bat while staying in the wild-card chase.
Surez has long been known for his home run punch, and his season line still points to the kind of impact the Blue Jays have lacked in key spots. Whether Toronto actually makes the claim is the next question, but the opportunity itself is notable because it is the kind of rare roster opening that can change the conversation for a club trying to hang around in a crowded race. [Read more 🡒]
Former Blue Jays Closer Is Rebuilding His Value In Unexpected Place
Jordan Romanos path back to relevance has taken another turn, and it has landed in a place few would have predicted when he left Toronto. After a rough run with the Angels and a season spent with the Phillies, the former Blue Jays closer signed a minor league deal with the Rockies and has started to steady things in Colorado, where he has been effective across 16 appearances.
For Toronto, Romanos career arc still carries a familiar relevance because he remains one of the most accomplished Canadian relievers in the game, with 126 career saves ranking third all-time among his countrymen. His latest stretch is less about nostalgia than it is about whether he can turn this rebound into something more lasting, especially after the detour through Anaheim raised fresh questions about where his next big opportunity might come from. [Read more 🡒]