Blue Jays' John Schneider Announces Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Move Before Phillies Game
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the 2026 season expecting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to be the engine of their offense. Fresh off a World Series appearance after agreeing to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, Guerrero was firmly established as the face of the franchise and the player Toronto expected to lead another postseason push.
Through the first months of the season, however, the production has not matched those expectations.
Guerrero enters Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the middle of one of the most difficult stretches of his Blue Jays career. After going 0-for-4 in Monday's 5-2 loss, he is hitting .282/.372/.368 with three home runs, 25 RBIs and a .740 OPS through 65 games. Over his last eight games, he is 4-for-31 with only two extra-base hits and one RBI.
With Toronto sitting at 32-34 and trying to stay afloat in the AL East race, manager John Schneider decided to make a significant lineup change ahead of Tuesday's matchup against Philadelphia.
Per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, Guerrero will bat leadoff, a move Schneider described as an effort to "just try to shake things up for him a bit and see how it goes."
Guerrero has reportedly told Schneider in recent weeks that he is willing to hit wherever the club needs him and Schneider has consistently acknowledged how important the slugger remains to Toronto's success.
"We go as Vlad goes, right? And no one feels that more than him."
Vlad Guerrero Jr. leading off for Jays. Per John Schneider it's "just trying to shake things up for him a bit and see how it goes." In recent weeks Guerrero Jr. has told Schneider he'll hit wherever Jays want.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) June 9, 2026
"We go as Vlad goes, right? And
no one feels that more than him."
The decision represents another vote of confidence by the organization that Guerrero will eventually break out of his recent struggles. Schneider reiterated that belief after Monday's game.
"I want him to keep going, keep understanding he's the face of our team," Schneider said. "He's our best hitter. It's going to come around for him. It takes a game. It takes a swing" (h/t Keegan Matheson of MLB.com).
The Blue Jays have already experimented with moving Guerrero around the lineup this season. In May, he was shifted from his customary No. 3 spot to the second position during a slump and responded by homering in his first at-bat.
Toronto will hope for a similar spark Tuesday night. The Blue Jays have won two of their last three games but remain below .500 and trail in a competitive division. With a crucial series against the New York Yankees looming later this week, getting Guerrero back to his usual level is one of the club's biggest priorities.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 1:41 PM.