Early in the Blue Jays’ game in Pittsburgh on Monday night against the Pirates, a camera caught Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pointing to his left hamstring and mouthing something to the dugout (video via BlueSky here). In the top of the fifth inning, the Blue Jays used Ty France to pinch hit for Guerrero.
Shortly thereafter, the Blue Jays announced that Guerrero left the game due to left hamstring tightness. We now await word as to the severity of the injury.
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Guerrero is obviously the centerpiece of the Blue Jays’ offense. He’s hitting .298/.396/.498 with 30 doubles, 21 homers, 69 RBI and 83 runs this season. Losing him for any period of time makes a significant impact on the lineup and its ability to consistently produce. France would be an option to step in as the everyday first baseman if Guerrero needed to be placed on the injured list while utility man Ernie Clement is also an option. This could also be a day-to-day situation where the Jays only need to cover first for a couple games before Guerrero returns. We’ll see.
The Blue Jays entered Monday’s action with a five-game lead over the second-place Red Sox while the Yankees were 5 ½ games back. They are looking for their first AL East title since 2015 and only their second since 1993.