Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is giving John Schneider traffic on the bases, not the thunder Toronto needs in the middle of its lineup.
Through 59 games, Guerrero has just 3 home runs.
The rest of the line still looks healthy enough at first glance. He is batting .297 with a .390 OBP.
That is what makes this sting in Toronto. Guerrero is in the first season of a 14-year, $500,000,000 extension, and the Blue Jays paid for a middle-order force.
The standings make the missing power feel heavier. Toronto enters Wednesday 1.0 game out of the final AL Wild Card spot.
This is not a lineup carrying him, either. The Blue Jays rank 26th in MLB with a .690 OPS.
They have also hit only 57 home runs in 61 games, which is why Guerrero's slow power pace keeps dragging the conversation back to him.
Toronto needs damage, not just traffic
To be fair, Guerrero is not giving away at-bats. He has 30 walks against 25 strikeouts.
But Schneider is still penciling him into the 3 spot, and that lineup role comes with a different job description than simply reaching base.
The Statcast dip is part of the story. Guerrero's barrel rate is down to 6.8% after sitting at 12.2% in 2025.
The same slide shows up in the harder contact. His hard-hit rate has fallen to 44.2% from 50.7% last season.
There is still a reason Toronto can talk itself into a rebound. Guerrero's expected slugging sits at .425, well above his actual .387 mark.
That leaves the Blue Jays in an awkward spot. The plate approach is still solid, but the impact is not showing up often enough for a first baseman expected to carry innings with one swing.
His 3rd homer came in Detroit, and the total is still 3. For a club chasing offense almost every night, that is not just a quiet slump. It is a real lineup problem.
Are the Blue Jays getting enough power from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?
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