The Toronto Blue Jays have been inconsistent at best as of late, but heading into the 2026 All-Star Game, they’ve managed to once again find some momentum as they creep closer and closer to the .500 mark once more.
Their final series before the All-Star break comes against the San Diego Padres, and following a dramatic series opener, game two was just as exciting, but this time, the team fell short 8-7 as they now find themselves battling to secure a series victory on Sunday afternoon. With Kevin Gausman set to take the mound, the Blue Jays lineup once again features some changes, including one to star slugger Vladimir Guerero Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Moved to DH
GettyVladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays.
On this West Coast road trip, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has seemingly found a little spark, as he not only broke his home run slump against the San Francisco Giants, but went yard again against the Padres on Saturday night, driving in three runs in a 2-4 performance.
Clearly, the team are going to led him work through his struggles while staying in the lineup, but that doesn’t mean changes can’t be made, and ahead of the series finale, the team have moved him to the Designated Hitter role.
In Guerrero’s place at first base will be standout rookie Sean Keys, who has seemingly adapted rather quickly to the big league level in 2026, with one home run and 5 RBI through his first 29 plate appearances thus far.
Can Vladimir Guerrero Jr. get hot in the Second Half?
While the past few days have been successful for Vladdy, there’s no hiding the fact that he’s struggled for much of the first half, with his power outage becoming a major story among Toronto Blue Jays fans everywhere. Before the past five games, Guerrero Jr. had just four home runs through 85 games played, but even after that success, he’s still posting just a .710 OPS with six big flies and 41 RBI on the season.
Thankfully for Toronto, Japanese rookie Kazuma Okamoto has stepped up and delivered the power this team has needed, but if the team are to bounce back from a 45-50 record to potentially push for a post-season spot, they need their highest paid star to turn things around. On a positive note, Guerrero has already turned down his spot in the All-Star Game to focus on mending a niggling injury that he’s been dealing with all season, and after going 5-17 with two home runs and six RBI over his past four games, there’s already signs that he’s coming to life.
For now though, the Blue Jays will be hoping that the 27-year-old can focus on getting healthy and getting mentally ready for a big second half, and if he can continue the success he’s had over the past two series, this is a player that can get hot in a big way and potentially lead this team to a Wild Card berth despite all of the struggles and injuries that they’ve dealt with thus far in 2026.
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