Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opened up about a raw, honest conversation with John Schneider this month.

This is his first season without Bo Bichette, his teammate since both debuted in 2019, Guerrero in April, Bichette that July.

Bichette hit .294 with 111 home runs and 437 RBIs across seven seasons in Toronto before signing with the Mets in January.

Guerrero stayed, signing his 14-year, $500 million deal in April 2025. Bichette's departure only added to his responsibilities.

Through Saturday, Guerrero is hitting .262 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs, a season well below his own standard.

Even after a four-hit, six-RBI game against Cleveland in early September, something still didn't feel right. He reached out to Schneider directly.

"Sometimes we lie a lot, we say we're good and we're not good," Guerrero told Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "If you need help, just ask for help."

Why Schneider sees real leadership in how Guerrero has handled it

"I learned a lot about that this year, and the other day I told him I just need help, and we talked for like 45 minutes in his office," Guerrero said. "After that, I felt relief, because I needed to talk with somebody that can hear me, besides my family."

"Everything's been great after that. My mind has been clear."

Schneider views the whole stretch as an opportunity for something positive to come out of a difficult year.

"In watching Vlad go through it, I try to use it as an opportunity to make sure that good can come out of it, and to his credit, he hasn't budged," Schneider said.

George Springer backed that up from the clubhouse.

"He works his ass off," Springer said. "He's here late. He's here early. He'll dissect everything. He shows up every day and he never gets down."

Toronto fell to 76-79, three games behind the White Sox for the final AL wild-card spot, and the Blue Jays hold neither the tiebreaker over Chicago nor Texas.

Seven games remain: Sunday at Texas, three at Baltimore, then three at home against Cincinnati to close the season.

Trey Yesavage starts Monday in Baltimore, expected to throw around three innings after his August knee surgery. He's 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA this season.

Shane Bieber planned to throw off a mound Saturday, though a regular-season return looks unlikely. He's building up in case Toronto reaches October anyway.

Santander could be activated Monday if Sunday's rehab game goes well.

Jameson Taillon confirmed Sept. 15 that his season is over due to an elbow injury, with a visit to Dr. Keith Meister scheduled for Sept. 22.