Blue Jays Make Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Decision After Loss to Yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays will look to bounce back from Saturday's 3-1 loss to the New York Yankees when they take the field for Sunday's series finale at Rogers Centre. Paul Goldschmidt's ninth-inning home run off Louis Varland proved to be the difference in the defeat, wasting another strong outing from Kevin Gausman.

The Blue Jays were also without Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was sidelined due to a back issue. Without the 27-year-old, Toronto struggled to generate meaningful offense, with Kazuma Okamoto's home run in the third inning the only major highlight.

Guerrero's back began tightening before Friday's 8-5 win over New York. He informed manager John Schneider during the game, but remained in the lineup and pushed through the discomfort, finishing 1-for-5 with an RBI double.

By Saturday morning, the issue had not eased enough for him to play.

"Back was a little tight yesterday, and been kind of grinding, so just wanted to give him a blow," Schneider explained. "Talked to him after the game, but he's feeling a little bit better today" (via The Athletic's Mitch Bannon).

Charles McAdoo got the start at first base and batted eighth in Guerrero's place.

When the Blue Jays released Sunday's lineup, Guerrero's name was absent for a second consecutive day as he continues to deal with back tightness.

No Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (back tightness) again for finale vs NYY pic.twitter.com/iEvvYjG1OP

— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) June 14, 2026

While it'd have been great to have Guerrero on the field, the Blue Jays will hope the extra rest days helps him snap out of his current slump. Guerrero is slashing .280/.372/.366 this season, with a slugging percentage that currently sits below his career mark of .487. He has not homered since May 17 against the Detroit Tigers and is still searching for his first home run at Rogers Centre this season.

For a player signed to a 14-year, $500 million contract and coming off a 2025 campaign in which he hit .292 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs, his struggles this season has been difficult to ignore.

On Sunday, the Yankees will send Will Warren (7-1, 3.28 ERA) to the mound, while Patrick Corbin gets the ball for Toronto. First pitch is scheduled for 1:37 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays enter the day at 34-37 and third in the American League East.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 11:33 AM.