Something is not right with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is struggling to find his power at the plate.
The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman has just three home runs through 66 games in the 2026 MLB season, a potential cause for concern for the Blue Jays, if it isn’t already.
According to Sportsnet Stats, it’s the fewest home runs Guerrero has hit over his first 65 games of a season at least since the 2021 campaign.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has experienced a power outage in 2026 pic.twitter.com/hCFYpN0CC1
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 9, 2026
The 27-year-old Guerrero is still hitting a solid .282 with a .371 on-base percentage, but a .366 slugging percentage reflects a decrease in power this season. In the previous five seasons, during which he was an All-Star each year, Guerrero slashed .293/.372/.507 with a 143 OPS+.
What’s also intriguing is that he is striking out at a lower rate (10.4%) this year than he did over that same five-season stretch (14.9%). Guerrero is putting balls in play at an impressive rate as well (.305 BABIP), but a 45.1% hard-hit rate is hurting his potential to hit home runs with the same frequency as he used to.
The reigning American League champions are playing catch-up in the AL East, as the Blue Jays are behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees by eight games through Tuesday.
Guerrero will have to recapture his power sooner rather than later in order to help Toronto stay in the playoff picture before it is too late.
