The Toronto Blue Jays’ season has not gone according to plan so far in 2026, and it somehow got even worse on Sunday.
The Blue Jays lost two star players in the span of one inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario on Sunday. In the top of the fifth, starting pitcher Dylan Cease could be seen shaking his arm after a pitch and immediately left the game without even trying to stay in.
Dylan Cease left his start with a trainer in the fifth inning pic.twitter.com/tGYF23pKTK
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 24, 2026
The news somehow got worse in the bottom of the fifth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hit by a pitch on the inside of his right elbow. Guerrero immediately went back to the dugout and essentially took himself out of the game.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went directly to the dugout and left the game after being hit by a pitch. pic.twitter.com/jPWw5jGiTX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 24, 2026
In many ways, this is a microcosm of the Jays’ season. Just about anything that can go wrong has gone wrong, but it goes without saying that the team really cannot afford to lose either Cease or Guerrero for any lengthy period of time.
Guerrero has been slumping in the power department with only three home runs this year, but he remains the anchor of the team’s lineup. Cease was a marquee free agent addition during the offseason and had a 2.98 ERA through ten starts entering play Sunday.
At one point earlier this season, the Blue Jays had nearly $100 million worth of talent on the injured list. Some of those players have since returned, but the number might be about to go up again.
