Blue Jays takeaways: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. chasing 200, Danny Jansen returns with Red Sox
TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will have five more games to record six hits if he's to reach the significant 200-hit plateau.
The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman went 0-for-4 in the club's 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday at the Rogers Centre.
The loss opened the final homestand of the season for the Blue Jays, who play two more against the Red Sox before three against the Miami Marlins .
With the Blue Jays playing out the string in a lost season, the only real captivating storyline in the last week is whether Guerrero can become the sixth player in franchise history to record 200 hits in a single season.
The 25-year-old is sitting at 194 hits and it looked like he'd get his 195th in the fourth inning when he hit a ball deep to left-centre field but Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran made a running catch to rob Guerrero of a possible double. In the ninth, Guerrero tried to beat out an infield single, but Red Sox third baseman Nick Sogard got the throw off in time. (This was confirmed by a review that ruled Guerrero out.)
In a season characterized by discontent, one of the main bright spots of the 2024 campaign has been the play of Guerrero. The slugger entered this season with the question of whether he was a superstar (à la his 2021 near-MVP performance) or just a very good player (à la his 2022 and 2023 seasons). He answered it, emphatically, by putting up a stat line that reaffirms he is one of today's great hitters.
Through 154 games, Guerrero is slashing .324/.397/.548 with a 166 wRC+. In the second half alone, he's hit .384 with a 226 wRC+.
Guerrero has already set a new career high in hits, besting the 188 he recorded in 2021, but reaching the 200 mark would put him in an exclusive club with just five other Blue Jays players who have also achieved the feat (Vernon Wells, Tony Fernandez, Paul Molitor, Shannon Stewart and John Olerud). In addition, Guerrero would become the second player in club history to record at least 200 hits, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a single season after Wells had 215 hits, 33 home runs and 117 RBIs in 2003.
The runway is running out for Guerrero to accomplish the meaningful milestone, but the first baseman has had 52 multi-hit games this season, so getting a couple of knocks per game is well within his reach.
Danny Jansen returns to Toronto with the Red Sox
With the Red Sox visiting this week, Danny Jansen returned to Toronto for the first time since the Blue Jays sent him to the division rival at the trade deadline.
Jansen, who spent 11 years with the Blue Jays organization, was asked if there are any Toronto spots he wants to visit during his return. "Probably a Tim Hortons," he said, prompting laughs from the assembled media.
Developed from a raw teenager into a well-rounded catcher, Jansen established himself as a fan favourite among the Blue Jays faithful since his MLB debut in 2018.
Midway through the first inning, the organization played a tribute video for Jansen, which led to him stepping out of the visitors' dugout to acknowledge the applauding fans and giving a nod to his former teammates in the home dugout.
"I thought we did a really good job to recognize him in that way," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "I think if there's anyone that's deserving for that, it's Jano for what he's accomplished in this organization, what he's done in this community and what he's done in this clubhouse. I thought it was a great video."
When the 29-year-old catcher arrived at the Rogers Centre on Monday, he visited the home clubhouse to catch up with Blue Jays players and staff. Though he's managed to keep in touch with his teammates since the trade, including recently exchanging texts with Davis Schneider after he used one of Jansen's old bats and went 3-for-4 with a home run.
"He didn't ask for my permission," Jansen quipped before adding, "Davis is great, and he sent me a text right after. He's like, 'Guess what bat I used to hit a homer?' And then I think he broke it that night as well, but he said he got a hit breaking it, so it went down a hero. I think I got a bunch of bats lying around there somewhere."
Following his July trade to the Red Sox, Jansen said it took about two weeks for the shock to wear off and for him to adjust to his new surroundings. But he said the "welcoming" group in Boston helped ease his transition.
When the Red Sox acquired Jansen on July 27, they were 1 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot and trying to make a postseason push. But a 22-27 record since Aug. 1 has sunk their chances. Even if Jansen, a free agent after the season, isn't making an October run with Boston, he still called the experience "great."
"Teammates have been awesome. Staff's been great. And everybody's just super welcoming," Jansen said. "It's been a lot of fun to battle with these guys and to compete, day in and day out. It's been a great experience so far."
As for how the season unfolded with the Blue Jays, who despite preseason ambitions to compete, will finish last in the division with their worst record since 2019, Jansen said it was disappointing to underperform but it's part of playing the game.
"You're going into spring training, trying to be the best team you can and, obviously, didn't go that way throughout the year," Jansen said. "But that's part of the game. And nobody expects to not be the best team right off the bat and all that stuff. But that's the way the game goes. And getting traded is part of it."
Blue Jays injury updates
Bo Bichette is travelling to Arizona to meet with a hand specialist on Tuesday to discuss the next steps for his right middle finger fracture.
The season-ending finger injury occurred last week during a freak accident while the Blue Jays shortstop was fielding ground balls before the game, per MLB.com. The timing of the injury was particularly frustrating because Bichette had only returned from a two-month IL stint the day before.
When Bichette returned from the right calf strain, the hope had been he could play in the season's final two weeks and use it to end what's been a difficult season on a positive note. Instead, Bichette hit the IL again, and now the concern is just getting the finger fixed.
Meanwhile, Daulton Varsho had surgery on his right rotator cuff on Monday. The surgery was performed by well-known orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Texas. The Blue Jays hadn't yet received an update from Varsho post-surgery, but the expectation is the centre fielder's recovery may extend into spring training, but he'll be ready for the start of next season.
And Kevin Gausman threw a light side session on Monday and his back felt fine, the Blue Jays manager said. Gausman left his last start in Texas after five hitless innings with lower back tightness. He's on track to start Wednesday's finale against the Red Sox, his last start of the season.
(Photo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr: Raymond Carlin III / Imagn Images)
