Blue Jays Make Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Announcement After Leaving Pirates Game
The Toronto Blue Jays entered Sunday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, attempting to carry their momentum into a fifth straight victory. In third place in the American League East at 25-27, Toronto has started to turn its season around following a frustrating, injury-plagued start to the 2026 MLB season.
One of the biggest reasons for the Blue Jays' recent improvement has been the play of superstar first basemanVladimir Guerrero Jr. While struggling to generate his usual power throughout the season so far, Guerrero has been consistently able to get on base for the Blue Jays as of late. After recently spending six games batting second in the lineup, Guerrero returned to the third spot in Toronto's batting order.
However, concern quickly emerged during Sunday's game after Guerrero exited in the fifth inning. The 27-year-old was seen leaving the game following being hit in the right elbow by a 92 mph pitch from Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller. The Blue Jays posted an update on X, stating that the superstar first baseman suffered a right elbow contusion.
"UPDATE: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from today's game with a right elbow contusion. He underwent X-rays which came back negative for a fracture," the Blue Jays shared on X.
UPDATE: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from today's game with a right elbow contusion.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 24, 2026
He underwent X-rays which came back negative for a fracture.
Thankfully, Guerrero appears to have avoided a fracture after the initial X-rays came back negative. Toronto will now hope that this injury does not cause Guerrero to miss extended time, as the team has already dealt with major injuries to impact players such as catcher Alejandro Kirk and starting pitcher Shane Bieber.
Entering Sunday, the former ALCS MVP and five-time All-Star was batting .287 with three home runs and a .750 OPS in 52 games this season. While the Blue Jays will likely continue monitoring Guerrero over the coming days, the negative X-rays appear to be an encouraging sign for Toronto moving forward.
The Blue Jays will begin a three-game home series against the Miami Marlins on Monday.
Related: Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk Update Emerges Before Pirates Game
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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 2:42 PM.