Vladimir

Guerrero Jr.

The Blue Jays simply did not have enough power to forge a comeback after falling down by six runs early against the Phillies. They chipped away and put some runs on the board, but ultimately couldn’t find that home run to get over the hump. In fact, they didn’t have a single extra-base hit, only eight singles. This is nothing new for Guerrero, who only has two extra-base hits in June and whose last home run came way back on May 17th. Him having just three homers and a .740 OPS in the middle of June is not what we expected.

Springer was given a day off to reset mentally during Tuesday’s contest with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moving up to the leadoff spot in his place. Guerrero is hitting second in this one followed by a red-hot Ernie Clement to face Phillies southpaw Jesús Luzardo.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters they’re trying to shake things up for Guerrero and will see how it goes. It’ll be rookie Charles McAdoo at first base and hitting ninth with a scuffling George Springer getting a mental break. The 27-year-old fantasy superstar has just three homers through 65 games this season. He’s obviously capable of erupting for an extended power surge at any moment based on his track record. It’ll be a pair of certifiable beefy baseball boys in Guerrero and Phillies counterpart Kyle Schwarber atop their respective lineups in the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old slugger started a three-run rally with a one-out double off of Chris Sale in the third inning. He then came around to score the game’s first run on an RBI single off the bat of Charlie McAdoo. Guerrero also singled in the ninth and scored on an RBI knock by Myles Straw. With his three-hit attack, he’s now slashing .300/.391/.391 with just three homers, 24 RBI and five stolen bases over 258 plate appearances on the season.

Guerrero had an excellent day at the plate, collecting a season-high four hits. He singled in the first inning, then led off the fourth with a base hit and scored a run. He added a single and a second run scored in the eighth before driving in a run with a double in the ninth. The 27-year-old first baseman raises his slash line to .305/.400/.394 with three homers, 35 runs scored, 24 RBI, and five steals across 240 plate appearances.

Guerrero came through with the biggest hit of the night for Toronto, capping off a remarkable five-run comeback in the late innings with a go-ahead two-run single into the left-field corner off Orioles reliever Yennier Cano in the eighth inning. The 27-year-old franchise cornerstone isn’t hitting for the caliber of over-the-fence pop that fantasy managers were anticipating with just three homers through 56 games.

Guerrero also drew a walk. It was the 27-year-old’s first game back after missing a pair of contests because of soreness in his elbow, and he felt well enough to procure his fifth stolen base of the season. The lack of power has been disappointing, but Guerrero has still been a contributor with a .293 average and .392 on-base percentage.

Guerrero Jr. will hit second and play first base. The 27-year-old missed two games while dealing with soreness in his elbow, but he’s good to go for the series finale against the Marlins on Wednesday. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Lenyn Sosa will make another start at first base in his place. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Guerrero was able to hit prior to Tuesday’s contest but is still pretty sore. The 27-year-old franchise cornerstone will miss his second straight contest after being hit by a pitch on the right elbow over the weekend. It’s impossible to rule out a trip to the injured list the longer his absence lingers, but all signs point to Guerrero returning this week, especially since initial X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Wednesday’s series finale.

Guerrero receives some extra time off to rest and recover after taking a pitch off his right elbow during Sunday’s series finale against the Pirates. The positive news for the Blue Jays and fantasy managers is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures. The 27-year-old fantasy superstar isn’t completely out of the woods yet, but all signs point to him returning to Toronto’s lineup this week. It’ll be Lenyn Sosa taking over at first base in his absence.