The Toronto Blue Jays have made a change to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before their series opener against the Cleveland Guardians.
Toronto is set to kick off a pivotal three-game series against Cleveland, as the Blue Jays are 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET as Toronto is coming off a series sweep of the Mariners.
Blue Jays Announce Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Decision
Ahead of the Blue Jays series opener against Cleveland on Tuesday, Toronto revealed its lineup.
The Blue Jays have Guerrero Jr. playing first base and batting second. On Sunday in the series finale against the Mariners, Toronto had Guerrero hitting third, but John Schneider opted to swap Guerrero and Kirk.
The Blue Jays lineup on Tuesday is as follows:
- B. Bateman CF
- A. Kirk C
- V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
- G. Springer DH
- N. Lukes RF
- K. Okamoto 3B
- A. Giménez SS
- E. Clement 2B
- M. Straw LF
Toronto will be starting Spencer Miles as an opener, with Spencer Arrighetti getting the bulk of the innings.
Guerrero, meanwhile, is in the midst of a disappointing season as he’s hitting .258 with 7 home runs and 48 RBIs.
Toronto Shakes Up Roster
The Blue Jays enter a pivotal series against the Guardians that could define their 2026 season.
Ahead of the series, the Blue Jays made multiple roster moves, with the roster expanding to 28.
Toronto announced they activated infielder Josh Smith and LHP reliever Joe Mantiply from the injured list. The Blue Jays also recalled LHP Ricky Tiedemann and INF Sean Keys from Triple-A.
The Blue Jays had an open roster spot after optioning CJ Van Eyk to Triple-A on Monday, but the team DFA’d Daz Cameron to make room.
Tiedemann and Mantiply give Schneider some left-handed options out of the bullpen, while Keys adds some power to the bench. Smith, meanwhile, can play all over the diamond, giving the Blue Jays some flexibility.
Blue Jays Playing Playoff Baseball Right Now
With the Blue Jays battling for a playoff spot, Schneider said the team is playing playoff baseball right now.
“We’ve been saying we’re playing post-season games the last three weeks,” said Schneider. “It’s kind of right there in front of us, so you got to enjoy the off day and rest up and be ready to just keep your foot on the gas.”
The Blue Jays are coming off a series sweep of the Mariners, which puts them right back in the playoff picture.
“This is what you play for, this is what’s fun,” Scherzer said of Toronto’s playoff push. “When you’re in the hunt, you have to win. The pressure is on. You have to go out there and do something about it. I love these moments. We’re in a fight and we have to fight all the way until the end.”
Toronto is 68-70.
Blue Jays Announce Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Change Before Guardians Series