Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubles, scores in 1-0 win

Guerrero grounded out in the first inning, then reached in each of his next four plate appearances. He put the Blue Jays on the board with a base hit to drive in a run in the third inning, then added a base hit in the fourth before drawing a walk in the seventh. A single in the ninth brought an insurance run in for Toronto. The 27-year-old first baseman is hitting .267/.348/.358 with six homers, 54 runs scored, 44 RBI, and seven steals across 425 plate appearances.

With his team having totaled two runs the last three days, Jays manager John Schneider will just keep tweaking things until something clicks. Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who have been hitting second and third, respectively, have both been moved up one slot tonight. Kazuma Okamoto is down to sixth after spending most of the last month batting fourth and fifth.

Guerrero’s inexplicable decline continued with another hitless performance, dropping his season OPS below the .700 mark. The 27-year-old has managed just six home runs through 95 games after clearing the 20-homer plateau in each of the previous five seasons. Few hitters possess his ability to snap out of an extended slump in an instant, but there have been very few signs that a turnaround is coming with only two months remaining. Barring an unexpected power surge, this will go down as one of the most puzzling non-injury-related seasons by an established fantasy superstar in recent memory.

Guerrero’s three-run homer tied the game at 7-7, and was a towering shot over the left-field wall off Bradgley Rodriguez. That’s just the sixth homer of the season for Guerrero, but it’s the second time in three games, for those looking for hope heading into the break. Guerrero is as good of bet as any disappointing hitter in baseball to bounce back with a big second half after the All-Star break.

Guerrero and George Springer went back-to-back in the ninth, with Guerrero driving a fastball to center at 108 mph and a projected distance of 419 feet. It was Guerrero’s only hit of the day, but he had two other hard-hit balls. He also had two on Tuesday, though both of those turned into double plays. Hopefully, he’ll get his back feeling a little better over the break and start hitting homers more regularly afterwards.

Guerrero has been struggling with his back for weeks now, so this seems to be for the best. He’ll still be credited with his sixth All-Star selection. If the AL replaces him with another first baseman (there’s still two on the roster in Nick Kurtz and Ben Rice), then Willson Contreras is most deserving, based on 2026 performance. Still, he might be bypassed in favor of Pete Alonso or Jonathan Aranda.

Guerrero missed Tuesday’s game with back tightness, but it was never expected to be a serious issue. Perhaps another day or two off could have helped the slumping first baseman with a mental reset, but he’s back in Toronto’s lineup already. It’s hard to keep him out of fantasy lineups outside of shallow leagues where multiple difference-makers can be found on the waiver wire. Sean Keys will start at DH and bat eighth with George Springer on the paternity list.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that he thinks Guerrero will be ready for Wednesday’s series finale against the Mets. He added that he didn’t want to take any chances and risk a setback after Guerrero experienced some tightness while swinging before Tuesday’s game. He’s been battling through the lingering issue for the last couple weeks.

It sounds like a precautionary move and fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be rookie Sean Keys moving over to cover first base with Ernie Clement at the hot corner and Luis Urías entering the lineup at second. Guerrero has been through a tough season at the plate with just four home runs across 81 games. There should be an update on his status following Tuesday’s contest in Toronto.

“No, I think there’s always a time when a guy needs a little bit of a break, whether it’s physically, mentally or whatever it is,” Schneider said. “It’s no secret we’re going to need Vlad, if we want to be good.” Guerrero went hitless Sunday, and is now slashing .268/.348/.349. The lack of power has been an issue all season for the 27-year-old, but now the hits aren’t starting to fall, and it’s becoming problematic. Still, Guerrero’s track record suggest a big second half is more than realistic, and fantasy managers can’t cut bait just yet.