Vladdy gets day off amid hamstring tightness

HOUSTON -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is out of the Blue Jays’ lineup for the finale in Houston after he looked uncomfortable after running out a ground ball late in Tuesday’s game.

Guerrero is still available off the bench and the Blue Jays are not considering an IL stint right now, but manager John Schneider recognized that Guerrero needed a day off -- at least one -- during a long stretch without a scheduled off day.

“He’s grinding. I think everyone is,” Schneider said. “He’s had some hamstring tightness. It’s a little bit of that to give him a blow, then a little bit of the quick turnaround, just to give him a reset. He’s feeling OK, but he’s been dealing with that and some other things for a while.”

Guerrero has been dealing with that hamstring issue for a while now. That’s on top of a nagging back problem that’s dragged through the season. More than previous seasons -- or at least more publicly -- it seems like Guerrero is wearing the grind of this season, physically.

He’s also insistent that the Blue Jays can still make a run, though, and spoke Tuesday about how he needs to do more to help that happen, so Guerrero isn’t looking for off days and certainly isn’t looking for an IL stint.

“He wants to be out there. He wants to be contributing more than he is,” Schneider said. “I’ll talk to him today as the day goes, then when we get into Chicago.”

Guerrero’s numbers have been the story of the season for the 53-61 Blue Jays, batting .259 with a .687 OPS. He’s homered just six times, zero of them coming at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

There’s a valid argument to be made that, if 10 days on the shelf would help Guerrero come back refreshed and re-energized, it could help the club in the long-term without sacrificing much in the short term.

“It’s a delicate one. We’re talking about one of the most important guys on our team,” Schneider said. “I always feel good with him in the lineup, his presence, what he can do and what he has done for a long time. I’ll just continue to talk to him and see what he thinks is best for him. He’s got a pretty good feel of what is best for him and what is best for the team. This is a big boy league. If you’re feeling good enough to go and you can help us, I want you to do that.”

The Blue Jays should have a clearer picture by the time they play Thursday in Chicago, a quick one-game stop to make up for a game rained out earlier this season.