Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded into another rally-killing double play Wednesday, and calls to bench him are getting louder.

Analyst Daniele Franceschi captured the moment plainly. "Blue Jays could've used a big hit in this spot from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Heck, a sac fly would've also been sufficient."

"Microcosm of his season, really. It's been a tough go," Franceschi added.

The specific play was brutal. Runners on the corners, one out, late in a 2-0 shutout loss to the Athletics. Guerrero swung at the first pitch and grounded it right into an inning-ending double play.

Manager John Schneider has kept him in the three-hole all season, even as Toronto's offense has ranked among the league's worst.

His OPS over the last 30 games sits at .619, a number that wouldn't justify a three-hole spot for almost any hitter in baseball.

Here's the honest take: half measures have run their course. Sitting him for even a single game is worth trying at this point.

What a lineup without Guerrero could actually look like

Sean Keys offers a real replacement option. Since his callup after crushing the ball in Buffalo, he's 3-for-8 with a home run.

A lineup built around Brett Bateman leading off, followed by Nathan Lukes, Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, Kazuma Okamoto, Josh Smith, Andres Gimenez, Keys, and Ernie Clement gives Toronto real depth without leaning on a struggling three-hole hitter.

Smith has earned regular at-bats with how he's swinging lately, though a lefty starter would argue for flipping him with Charles McAdoo instead.

None of this guarantees instant offensive success. But this lineup, filled with hot hands like Bateman, Okamoto, and Kirk, gives Toronto a genuine alternative to what hasn't worked.

Toronto remains alive in the wild-card race, and that alone is reason enough to try something different rather than running the same struggling look out every night.

If a couple of games on the bench resets Guerrero mentally, that's a worthwhile trade for a team with almost no margin left this deep into September.