TORONTO — Not even the return of Bo Bichette can conceal the recent struggles of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays (39-45) will enter their three-game set against Bichette and the New York Mets (35-49) at Rogers Centre on Monday after being swept four straight by the Texas Rangers (42-42) to extend Toronto’s losing streak to six outings, which matches a season-worst slide.
Guerrero, who has yet to homer at home in 2026, went 0 for 9 in the final two games of the series.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealed that after Saturday’s loss, he watched Guerrero go through a session in the hitting cage and the two talked about the slugger’s struggles.
“He’s actually good (mentally),” Schneider said. “You want some players to be good liars to a manager in terms of how they’re feeling. Vlad’s been an open book with me, so I’ve pressed him a few times in the last couple of weeks, and he’s good.
“I can’t imagine what it is like to be Vlad, and the pressure that comes with it, the expectations that come with it. He’s been dealing with it since he was 17 years old. It’s a lot.
“Hopefully, you look back on, not just this stretch or this homestand so far, but you look back on it, and you say, ‘Wow, that sucked,’ and you get better from it.”
Schneider was asked if he would bench his $37.71-million US salaried first baseman.
“I’m not going to bench him,” Schneider said. “There’s always a time when a guy needs a little bit of a break, whether it’s physically, mentally, whatever it is. It’s no secret we’re going to need Vlad to be good. He knows that, we know that. So, I think my job is to make sure his work is good, his mindset is good.”
It’s easy to pinpoint the Blue Jays’ follies lately. They get down early, and their comebacks have fallen short. They need to start scoring early and preventing runs early.
In Sunday’s episode of their talespin, Nathan Lukes tied the game at 2-2 with a two-run bomb in the eighth inning. But then closer Louis Varland bounced a two-out pitch in the dirt. The ball bounded off home plate umpire Alan Porter high in the direction of the Texas on-deck circle.
Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk failed to locate where the ball had landed, making it easy for pinch-runner Jarred Kelenic to score from second base and all of a sudden, the Blue Jays fell to 22-24 at home.
“It’s a terrible feeling when you don’t know where it is,” said Schneider, a catcher from his playing days. “We’re doing everything we can, pointing and screaming which way the ball went.”
The Mets will arrive in Toronto having won only once in their last eight outings. Bichette, who left via free agency in the off-season, has a seven-game hit streak. He’s batting .254 with 10 homers and 46 RBI.
“It will be nice to see him, but as far as Bo being here, for as good as he was here, I’m diving into the Blue Jays way more than I am saying hi to him,” Schneider said. “No offence to Bo.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2026.
Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
