WASHINGTON — Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will probably be out of the lineup on Wednesday after exiting Tuesday night’s 8-6 loss to the Nationals in the fourth inning with right hamstring tightness, manager John Schneider said.
Schneider was hopeful Guerrero would not miss an extended period of time. Guerrero first felt the tightness after legging out an infield single in the top of the third inning.
“It was a little sore, and he wanted to stay in, and it was my call just to be careful with him and not have anything worse happen,” Schneider said. “He checked out pretty good, and we’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
Kazuma Okamoto entered at first base for Guerrero and then clubbed his 24th home run on what was intended to be an off-day.
Schneider said Okamoto, who has played mainly third base and DH, is a continuing option at first if Guerrero’s return is not immediate.
“I think Kaz can play over there,” Schneider said. “He works there, and I don’t want to say regularly, but he gets working over there. And he’s been there, so I feel comfortable playing him there.”
In his second at-bat of a game delayed at the start more than an hour by torrential storms passing through the region before first pitch, Guerrero pulled Cade Cavalli’s first-pitch offering down the third-base line and raced to the bag to beat the errant throw of the charging Jorbit Vivas.
As Vivas’ throw bounded away from Luis García Jr., Guerrero turned and hustled toward second as the Blue Jays’ first run of the game scored, but he showed slight signs of discomfort.
Guerrero has played in 103 of Toronto’s 108 games this season, but he has lacked the power stroke fans have come to expect of the six-time All-Star.
He’s slashing .265/.345/.357 with six home runs. The slugging percentage is nearly 100 points off his previous low for a single season, and his homer total is three below the nine he hit during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
