TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a late scratch from Tuesday night’s game against the Mets with back tightness, the club announced an hour and a half prior to first pitch.
Guerrero was originally listed in the starting lineup, playing first base and batting third, but rookie Sean Keys will now slide across the diamond to cover first for the night. Continuing the shuffle, Ernie Clement slides from second to third while Luis Urías enters the lineup, playing third. Kazuma Okamoto, on his 30th birthday, is getting a scheduled day off.
Guerrero has dealt with this nagging back issue over the past month, and while it hasn’t forced him to miss any significant time to date, it’s clearly bothered him on the field at times, particularly following some big swings.
The timing is never good for these things, but it’s especially tough right now for Guerrero, who is trying to dig himself out of a long, puzzling slump to open the season. Guerrero has homered just four times and carries a .695 OPS, baffling numbers for such a gifted hitter who had just treated us to such an incredible show throughout the Blue Jays’ World Series run in 2025.
Guerrero’s only base hit in Monday’s series-opening win over the Mets came on a ground ball slapped the other way, but he’d hit two balls very hard for outs earlier in the game (111.1 and 107.1 mph). Those swings looked much more like Guerrero at his best, his hips finally exploding through the ball as he tapped into the natural power his lower body generates. It was an encouraging sign, but now the wait continues.
Further updates on Guerrero are expected following Tuesday night’s game. The Blue Jays also have a quick turnaround into their Canada Day game on Wednesday, with first pitch at 3:07 p.m. ET.