After the Toronto Blue Jays made such a stunning run to the 2025 World Series, expectations were held incredibly high for the franchise as it entered its 2026 campaign, despite facing a significant loss with the departure of infielder Bo Bichette. Fortunately, remaining at Rogers Centre is Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who fans are banking on this year.
Although he already has a proven track record at the plate, history says the best is yet to come for the 27-year-old first baseman. With this in mind, fans can rest assured that his disappointing offensive stats are likely to start climbing. All eyes are on Guerrero to see if history will repeat itself.
Guerrero Poised for Offensive Breakthrough
Blue Jays Slugger Saves the Best for Last
Guerrero is slashing .292/.375/.377 with a .752 OPS and just two homers through his 42 games since the regular season commenced. For reference, he wrapped up his 2025 campaign with a slash line of .292/.381/.467 and an impressive .848 OPS. However, it’s worth noting that it’s only May, which leaves him several months to bolster his numbers. If history repeats itself, a slow start to his season is nothing to fret about; this has become a familiar pattern for him.
Those last two swings, in particular, really capture what Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is going through right now.
When he’s at his best, Vladdy is a rare hitter who’s capable of controlling the at-bat instead of the pitcher. This looks like the opposite. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/WqdDWtAKgg
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) May 12, 2026
He is riding a career-low slugging percentage, raising concerns that his momentum may be fading in his eighth year of Major League Baseball. Red flags are being raised, with fans wondering why Guerrero is lacking in power at the plate — typically an unusual sight for such a notable hitter.
Last season, his May stat sheet reflected a .291 batting average and a .456 slugging percentage. In each passing month, his slugging percentage increased, peaking in August at .535 for the month.
Now, if any conclusion can be drawn from these numbers, it’s that he is still considered a premier slugger; his stat sheet just isn’t quite where loyal Toronto fans know he’s capable of sitting. When will he reach a turning point?
Close, but Not Close Enough
As reported by Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Blue Jays’ skipper John Schneider humorously stated, “He’s [Guerrero] a marathon runner, not a sprinter, I guess.”
Indeed, Guerrero has shown time and time again that he’s not one to kick off a season in the big leagues with jaw-dropping hits, but as indicated, he is in the game for the long haul each season. His bat inevitably heats up at the right moments, leaving just enough power to carry the ballclub into the postseason.
At the time of this writing, the Blue Jays are riding 18-24 overall, placing them toward the bottom of the AL East standings, just barely edging out the Boston Red Sox at 17-24. Now is the time for Guerrero to start cranking up the heat, but don’t expect him to make immediate improvements. Instead, anticipate a gradual comeback as he slowly turns the knob.
Ultimately, he is carrying a tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders, which inevitably causes his performance to take a hit. Fortunately, his year-to-year pattern is quite telling: things should start looking up for the Blue Jays slugger, preferably sooner rather than later, if the ballclub wants to start climbing in its division.
Main Image Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
