The Toronto Blue Jays could be special this year if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. steps up.
Blue Jays’ John Schneider Gets Honest About Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Before Yankees Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
If the Toronto Blue Jays continue their current form, they could make a deep playoff run for the first time since 2016. However, they need their biggest star to play like one to be a championship contender.
First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is playing well this season, but not as well as he could be. The 26-year-old is slashing .283/.391/.441 with 13 homers and 48 RBI over 99 games. He leads the team in on-base percentage, but his slugging is 103 points down from last season, and he's on pace for just over 21 homers after hitting 30 in 159 games last year. He also hit 48 across 161 contests in 2021.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider opened up about the situation before Wednesday's rubber match with the New York Yankees, via MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.
“We don’t need Vlad to be Superman, but we need him to be him," he explained. "By power standards, probably everyone is looking for a little bit more. When that happens, that just adds a different dynamic to our team that’s already really good.”
Guerrero has just one home run across 16 games in July thus far.
John Schneider on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 23, 2025
“We don’t need Vlad to be Superman, but we need him to be him. By power standards, probably everyone is looking for a little bit more. When that happens, that just adds a different dynamic to our team that’s already really good.” #BlueJays
Toronto lost 5-4 to New York on Tuesday after beating it 4-1 on Monday. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer allowed four runs in five innings, and closer Jeff Hoffman earned the loss after giving up a solo homer to Yankees first baseman Ben Rice in the ninth.
New York southpaw Max Fried (11-3, 2.43 ERA) will start against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassit (10-4, 3.89 ERA) on Wednesday night.
Related: Blue Jays’ John Schneider Announces Dalton Varsho Update After Yankees Loss
Related: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Facing Backlash From Blue Jays Fans During Yankees Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
