Vlad Jr. not in the lineup for Toronto on Wednesday

It’s a notable choice of words from Atkins, who stressed that Guerrero was dealing with pain and tightness while playing through back issues this past season. While he may not have been injured to the point that he would need to sit out games, the lingering physical issues clearly had an adverse impact on his performance. He also spoke about the importance of Guerrero getting his confidence back during the offseason and said he has no doubt that will happen. It doesn’t come as much consolation for fantasy managers who made Guerrero an early-round pick this past spring, but all signs point to him being healthy heading into next season. It’ll be impossible to overlook last year’s struggles, but given his raw talent and track record, it’s relatively easy to envision a bounce-back season for Guerrero, particularly from a power standpoint.

The 27-year-old slugger has been a major disappointment for the Blue Jays this season, slashing .260/.332/.356 with a paltry nine home runs and 57 RBI in 609 plate appearances. He’ll be a polarizing option heading into 2027 fantasy drafts. Charles McAdoo will start in his place at first base and bat cleanup for the Jays on Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

Okamota would double in the top of the first inning to bring home Alejandro Kirk to put the Jays up 2-0. In the seventh inning, however, he would come up big with the bases loaded. Okamato ripped a first-pitch curveball from Reds reliever Pierce Johnson to deep center to again bring home Kirk, along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to tie the game at 5-5 in what ended up being a four-run inning for Toronto. Okamoto is slashing a solid .257/.329/.500 with eight extra-base hits and 11 RBI in the month.

The double in the first was a 360-foot liner to right. It would have been a homer in 20 ballparks, including Rogers Centre, but it wasn’t one at Camden Yards.

Guerrero Jr. was out on Monday with a back injury and was originally held out of the lineup on Wednesday before being a late addition. He’s clearly not 100 percent, but the Blue Jays will be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss, so there is incentive for their star to try to play through the discomfort.

It’s been an abysmal lost season for Guerrero, who has gone from one of the most fearsome hitters on the planet during last year’s postseason to a non-factor at one of the thinnest position groups in the fantasy landscape. A compelling explanation, most likely due to playing through physical issues, will be unearthed at some point in the next few months, but it doesn’t make things any easier for fantasy managers to stomach. The 27-year-old franchise cornerstone is sitting out after making an early exit from Sunday’s game against the Rangers with lower back tightness. It’ll be rookie Sean Keys taking over at the cold corner.

He’ll probably want to get back out there Monday, but it’s easy to imagine Guerrero getting shut down if the Blue Jays are eliminated from contention sometime this week.

No word yet from the Jays on what may have happened, but Guerrero was replaced when the Jays took the field in the bottom of the fourth inning. He had been 1-for-2 with a single prior to exiting. Look for the team to provide an update on his status as soon as more information becomes available.

Okamoto’s home run was his 33rd of the year. He hit a three-run shot off Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan, that briefly gave the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead. Okamoto has hit five home runs in his last seven games. He’s hitting .236 with a .779 OPS and 88 RBI this season.

Yes, that is a real thing. Coming into Sunday’s action, Guerrero was without a home run in Toronto through 286 plate appearances this season. He finally snapped the incredible streak as part of back-to-back-back blasts with George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto in the fifth inning. The season has been a frustrating one, but his bat has perked up a bit in September.