Ross Atkins isn’t worried about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. staying down for long.
The Blue Jays general manager said Wednesday that he expects the first baseman to rebound after the worst season of his eight-year career, and he sounded firm about it during Toronto’s end-of-season press conference.
"Very confident that he'll be back," Atkins said Wednesday during his end-of-season press conference, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.
Atkins doubled down on that message when discussing Guerrero’s mindset.
"He's excited about it and extremely confident he's going to be back."
Guerrero’s 2026 line was a far cry from the star-level production Toronto has come to expect. He finished with nine homers, 57 RBI and a .688 OPS across 144 games, while also dealing with minor injuries and a concussion. Atkins said the early dip in rhythm and timing snowballed into something more damaging.
"As he lost a little bit of that rhythm and timing over the course of pretty early in the season, it started to impact his confidence," Atkins said, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "Once it impacted his confidence, in-game and in-season adjustments became very difficult."
That slump came after Guerrero drew attention for comments about his 14-year, $500-million extension. He said the Blue Jays paid him for what he "already did" rather than what he will do going forward. The six-time All-Star later apologized to his teammates and the fans for those remarks.
Toronto’s offense never really found its footing around him. The Blue Jays finished with the fewest home runs in baseball and the fifth-worst slugging percentage, part of a bottom-five attack that never masked Guerrero’s lost power.
"A lot of focus has been on the offense," Atkins said, according to Murphy. "We understand that and agree with that to some extent.
But it's never one thing. ... Have to understand every possible opportunity."
The front office may also look outside the organization for help. The Blue Jays are reportedly expected to chase Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki if he reaches free agency. Suzuki has hit 20 or more home runs in four straight seasons and carries an .823 career OPS.
Atkins also said his own roster-building played a part in Toronto missing the playoffs after reaching the 2025 World Series.
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