Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is struggling to hit the ball hard, with a sub-.400 slugging average.
What happened?
The Toronto Blue Jays' superstar has been compared to David Eckstein, a contact hitter and defensively skilled shortstop, due to his current performance.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a good average of .282 and is walking as much as ever, but his exit velocities are drooping.
Why it matters for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Blue Jays are trying to wake him up, including hitting him leadoff on Tuesday, but his contact quality hasn't been up to his usual standard.
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle wrote that the Blue Jays' season hinges on Guerrero's performance, and unless it changes, it's hard to imagine the team's idling season taking off.
What comes next?
The Blue Jays turned things around in the latter stages of last season, and maybe they can do that again, but as far as Guerrero is concerned, they'll hope that things get better sooner rather than later.
The team has the second-lowest strikeout rate in MLB, but they rank in the bottom 10 in measures such as isolated power, hard hit rate, and average exit velocity.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s struggles are a concern for the Blue Jays, and they need him to regain his form to make a push for the playoffs.
On Wednesday, Doolittle wrote that Guerrero has cut his elite strikeout rate down another 3.2% from his career-best level in 2025, but it's not enough to make up for his lack of power.
The Blue Jays will look to Guerrero to lead them to victory and hope that he can break out of his slump soon.