The Toronto Blue Jays have made a change to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ahead of their series opener against the Houston Astros.
Toronto is set to begin a three-game road series, and the Blue Jays announced their lineup, and Guerrero is back to playing first base. Guerrero was the DH on Sunday, but he’s back at his usual position and batting second amid a frustrating season.
The Blue Jays lineup on Monday is as follows:
- Nathan Lukes, RF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
- Kazuma Okamoto, 3B
- George Springer, DH
- Alejandro Kirk, C
- Jesus Sanchez, LF
- Ernie Clement, 2B
- Andres Gimenez, SS
- Myles Straw, CF
Toronto’s lineup looks much different after the trade deadline, as the team made plenty of moves, including trading Daulton Varsho to Houston.
Guerrero is in the midst of a disappointing season as he’s hitting .264 with 6 home runs and 44 RBIs with a .697 OPS, as it’s been a frustrating year for the slugger.
Guerrero Asks Blue Jays Fans for Patience
Although the season has less than 60 games remaining, Guerrero is still asking for patience.
Just over a week ago, Guerrero spoke to the media about his season and asked for some patience as he’s trying to figure something out.
“(There are) 58 games left, and you know how baseball is,” Guerrero said on July 25. “Anything can happen. I know I can get better. Just frustrating. But we’re just going — myself and the rest of the guys — to continue to play hard, and we’ll see at the end of the season. …
“Be patient. I know things are not going the way we wanted, but I can promise all our fans that every time we go out there, (our goal) is to win the game. We’re humans. Sometimes things don’t happen the way you want, regardless of your preparation or what you do. That’s baseball, but I can promise them we’re going to continue to work hard … We need for our fan base to be there right now because you never know, things can change.”
Guerrero is in the first year of his 14-year, $500 million deal with the Blue Jays.
Toronto’s Active Trade Deadline
The Blue Jays were active on the trade front on Monday on MLB Trade Deadline day.
Toronto dealt Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs for infield prospect Ty Southisene and outfield prospect Brett Bateman.
The big move of the day for the Blue Jays on Monday was acquiring star right-handed pitcher Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels for prospects Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti Jr. and Angel Rivero.
Toronto then acquired utility player Josh Smith and right-handed pitcher Josh Stephan from the Texas Rangers for left-handed reliever Adam Macko.
The Blue Jays then dealt Varsho to the Houston Astros for starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti. The final move was Toronto dealing Jeff Hoffman to the Minnesota Twins for left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, right-handed pitcher John Klein, second baseman Dameury Pena and $250,000 in international cap space.
Blue Jays Announce Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Change Ahead of Astros Series