Blue Jays Make Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Move Before Pirates Game

The Toronto Blue Jays have endured a disappointing 2026 MLB season, as last year's American League-winning club has failed to meet their preseason expectations. Entering Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 24-27 record, the Blue Jays find themselves in third place in the American League East.

Toronto has continued experimenting with different lineup combinations in hopes of generating more offensive production throughout the season. One of these notable lineup changes recently was centred around superstar first basemanVladimir Guerrero Jr., who spent the last six games batting second in the lineup. Prior to these last six appearances, Guerrero had been hitting third for the entire season.

The Blue Jays posted their lineup for Saturday's game, and Toronto's latest lineup card now appears to signal another adjustment as the organization continues searching for more offensive consistency throughout the middle of the order. Guerrero will return to the third spot in the order as the Blue Jays seek a fourth straight victory.

During a season in which Guerrero has struggled to hit with the power that made him a five-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Toronto moved him to second in the lineup to get him more at-bats and spark more consistent offensive production. Over the six games he spent in the two-hole, the experiment appears to have paid off. Guerrero hit a home run in his first at-bat in the second spot and hit .300 over the six-game stretch.

Let's keep it going! #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/kCsMIZliuF

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 23, 2026

Now, with Guerrero and the Blue Jays gaining some momentum, Toronto will move Guerrero back to a more traditional run-producing role in the three-hole, a place where he has spent the majority of his eight-year MLB career.

If Toronto hopes to climb back into contention in the AL East and American League Wild Card race, the organization will likely continue relying heavily on Guerrero's ability to drive the offense.

The Blue Jays look to secure a series victory against the Pirates on Saturday.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 10:03 AM.