Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn't sugarcoating how tough this season has been for the Toronto Blue Jays, but he's not panicking either.
Asked directly about where the team stands, Guerrero gave an honest answer.
"I mean, we all know it's been a rough year for us," Guerrero said. "A lot of injuries, a lot of guys are up and down."
That's about as direct an acknowledgment as you'll get from a player still searching for his own consistency at the plate.
Guerrero has dealt with his own version of that rough year, hitting .259 with six home runs and still without a home run at Rogers Centre this season.
Injuries have piled up around him too, with names like Addison Barger, Max Scherzer and Anthony Santander all sidelined for extended stretches at various points.
Toronto sits at 45-51, last in the American League East, a record that matches exactly the kind of season Guerrero just described out loud.
Why his one-game-at-a-time approach still carries weight
Guerrero didn't stop at acknowledging the struggle, though. He pointed to a mindset the clubhouse has leaned on all year.
"Like we talk about in the clubhouse, it's one game at a time," Guerrero said. "I think we're going to be fine."
That's the kind of message a leader gives when the standings don't offer much comfort on their own.
Toronto remains within striking distance of a wild card spot despite the record, the exact math that makes Guerrero's optimism at least mathematically defensible.
It's a bit like staying calm during a rocky flight because you trust the plane will land fine, even while everyone around you white-knuckles the armrests.
Does a message like this actually stabilize a clubhouse through a stretch this difficult, or is it just the kind of thing every player says when there's no other option but to keep playing?
Guerrero's words carry extra weight given his own struggles this year, a star player choosing steadiness over excuses while still searching for his own answers at the plate.
Do you believe Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that the Blue Jays are going to be fine?
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