WASHINGTON — Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Tuesday night’s 8-6 loss to the Washington Nationals with right hamstring tightness.
He was replaced in the bottom of the fourth inning by Kazuma Okamoto.
Guerrero, a six-time All-Star, grounded into a double play and reached on an infield single in his two at-bats.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left the game after this play. https://t.co/CNyZRV4czr pic.twitter.com/rjmb7dwj7Y— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 29, 2026
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Guerrero felt tightness when he touched first base on his single and turned toward second after an errant throw.
“He was a little sore and he wanted to stay in,” Schneider said. “It was my call just to be careful with him and not have anything worse happen. … He checked out pretty good and we’ll see how he is tomorrow. It’s a quick turnaround and, again, just trying to be smart with him. I don’t want to lose him for an extended period of time.”
Guerrero is hitting .265 with six homers and 44 RBIs this season.
He also owns a .702 OPS, which would be the worst in his eight-year career.
Those numbers are a steep decline from last season, when Guerrero hit 23 homers, tallied 84 RBIs and posted an .848 OPS to help the Blue Jays win the AL East.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a down season. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The 27-year-old slugger has played at least 156 games in each of the past five seasons.
He has played in 103 of Toronto’s 108 games this year.
The Blue Jays (49-59) are in last place in the AL East and trail the division-leading Rays by 14 games, and they sit 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot following last year’s run to Game 7 of the World Seires.
There are questions about whether veteran starter Kevin Gausman will be traded at this year’s deadline, and veteran outfielder/designated hitter George Springer will be a free agent after the season ends.
–With AP
