TORONTO - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still parked in the middle of the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup, even with the first baseman going through the roughest stretch of his professional career.
Manager John Schneider said Wednesday the club has considered moving Guerrero down in the batting order, but for now it is sticking with the plan that has defined most of his MLB career. Guerrero was slated again to hit in the heart of the order for Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
“I don’t want to punish him,” Schneider said. “If there were guys that were tearing the cover off the ball, it’s a little bit easier to think about, but we are built as a team for Vlad to be a focal point of the offence.”
That’s the central tension for the Jays right now: the spot in the order is one thing, but the production is another. Guerrero’s OPS is still more than 150 points below his career mark, and he’s on track for his fewest homers in a full season by 14. His OPS also starts with a six, which is the kind of number that puts a player’s lineup spot under the microscope.
Guerrero has spent 940 games hitting in the middle of Toronto’s order, with 87 percent of his career MLB starts coming second or third. When he’s locked in, that’s where he belongs. Right now, though, his swing has been off for most of the season, even if he still flashes the kind of smooth stroke that produced a roped double in the eighth inning Tuesday.
Schneider said moving Guerrero lower wouldn’t necessarily change how opposing pitchers attack him or ease the pressure on his plate appearances. The one spot that has been most productive for Guerrero is third, where he owns an .886 career OPS.
There is a practical downside to dropping him, too. It would likely mean fewer trips to the plate and, over time, fewer chances with runners on base. That’s a strange thing to say about a hitter with Guerrero’s résumé, but the Jays need better at-bats than they’re getting, and they need them from a lot of places.
Only Alejandro Kirk, Kazuma Okamoto and Jesús Sánchez have a significantly higher qualified OPS than Guerrero this season. For Wednesday’s game, those three were lined up second, fifth and sixth, so the Blue Jays are not exactly burying their best bats.
Schneider has made big lineup moves before. In August 2022, he pushed Bo Bichette down to seventh after the Jays had scored just one run in their previous two games. He texted Bichette the night before to warn him a change was coming, and when the shortstop saw the order, he fired back with a few choice words.
That move, Schneider said, was meant to light a fire under Bichette. He doesn’t think the same approach would work with Guerrero.
“I think Bo is different than Vlad to where you can strategically try to piss him off to get him going,” he said. “But I don’t think strategically pissing off Vlad is going to change much.”
So for now, the Jays are leaving Guerrero where he has usually lived. If they do decide to drop him later, it would amount to a blind swing at a problem they still haven’t solved.
What matters most is getting Guerrero’s swing back. Whether he’s batting third or ninth, Toronto’s offense won’t scare anybody if he keeps grounding out and missing pitches he can drive.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Face Two Tough Roster Calls In Their Playoff Push
With the Blue Jays still trying to figure out the shape of their roster for the stretch run, two names from within the system are starting to look like obvious candidates for a look. Ricky Tiedemann could be the pitching answer if Toronto decides Brendon Little is no longer the best fit, while Sean Keys has positioned himself as the kind of outfield bat the club might be tempted to test against big-league pitching as it keeps pushing toward October.
Jess Snchez is the other piece hanging over the discussion, because his role has thinned enough that Toronto has to consider what comes next. The offseason could bring a trade conversation there, especially if the Blue Jays decide they need to create space for a younger option and give themselves a better path into 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Moved Three Prospects Closer To The Big-League Radar
The Blue Jays continued reshaping their minor-league ladder by pushing three prospects to new stops, a move that brings Brandon Barriera, Daniel Guerra and Dameury Pena a little closer to the big-league conversation. Barrieras rise to High-A Vancouver comes on the heels of encouraging recent outings as he works back from Tommy John surgery, while Pena also lands in Vancouver after a strong stretch in Single-A since coming over in a trade.
Guerras jump is the most notable from a roster-management standpoint, with the right-hander moving all the way to Triple-A Buffalo after climbing three levels this season. Now Rule 5 eligible, he has reached a stage where performance and protection become part of the same conversation, and his rapid ascent gives Toronto another arm worth tracking as the organization sorts out its future pitching depth. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Fans Just Sent A Loud Message In Frustrating Season
Even in a frustrating season, Blue Jays fans have kept showing up at Rogers Centre, and the latest reminder came in the form of a food promotion milestone that says a lot about the mood around the team. Toronto sold its one millionth Loonie Dog during the 2026 MLB season, a mark that underscores how much the Tuesday home-game deal has become part of the experience for fans who continue to pack the ballpark.
The Blue Jays are also among the top five in MLB attendance this season, which makes the turnout feel even more notable as the team tries to give supporters something better to celebrate on the field. Following a game against the Kansas City Royals, fans were handed commemorative T-shirts to mark the occasion, a small but telling nod to a crowd that has stayed engaged through the ups and downs. [Read more 🡒]