The Toronto Blue Jays have battled injury perhaps more than any other team in Major League Baseball throughout 2026, and as a result, they’ve not managed to find that consistent momentum that they saw throughout 2025.
Whether it be starting pitching struggling to go deep, bullpen arms failing to consistently shut lineups down or the entire offense struggling at points, this is a team that’s heavily underperforming due to the injuries. With the All-Star break approaching, Toronto sit at 40-45 on the season, but with a good stretch they could easily find themselves back in the Wild Card race, and after a 2-1 win over the New York Mets on Monday, now is their chance.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Scratched due to Injury
GettyVladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays.
One player who has struggled mightily in 2026 is superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and after a horror stretch of games recently, the pressure is on the Blue Jays star to turn things around. Unfortunately, Tuesday won’t give him that opportunity, as reports have now emerged that Vlad will be out of the lineup after initially being named at 1B, with Hazel Mae reporting that it was due to back tightness.
This comes on the heels of the Blue Jays narrowly beating the Mets in game one of their series, with the bigger story of that game being the incredibly emotional return of Bo Bichette to Toronto after he spent the first decade of his professional career with the Blue Jays organization.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Needs to Turn Things Around
Coming into the season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was riding high after what was one of the greatest MLB post-season runs of all-time, and while they came up short, many believed that this run, although not resulting in a World Series win, justified the massive contract the Blue Jays handed him. The jury is still out on that one, but after so much success, he’s simply failed to recapture that consistency, hitting .268 with a .695 OPS and just 4 home runs through his first 81 games played.
That still leaves half of the season to turn things around, but with the Blue Jays battling through these injuries, it’s safe to say that so much more was expected of Vladdy, even if he too has been dealing with some soreness as of late. At this moment, it’s unclear whether or not this back tightness may lead to a stint on the Injured List or whether it’s a simple day or two off before getting back into the lineup, with rookie Sean Keys, coming off his big league debut set to take his place in the lineup.
Ultimately, this is a team that still has the talent needed to be a World Series threat, and while Guerrero will miss Tuesday’s action, the hope is that he can get back to 100% soon and lead this team on a run heading into the All-Star break after a very underwhelming first half of the 2026 season.
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