The injury bug won’t stop biting the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and starting pitcher Dylan Cease both exited in the fifth inning of a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. This continues the team’s awful injury luck.
What injuries did Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dylan Cease suffer?
Per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Cease shook out his legs after a 1-1 pitch to first baseman Spencer Horwitz during the top of the fifth inning. Toronto manager John Schneider and trainer Jose Ministral visited him on the mound before letting him throw three more pitches.
After Cease exited the game, the team announced it removed him due to left hamstring discomfort.
Guerrero injured his right elbow when a 92 mph sinker from Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller dinged him. He appeared to scream something after the ball hit his arm.
The first baseman immediately went into the dugout. Shortly after, the team announced he underwent X-rays, which came back negative for a fracture.
How could injuries to Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. impact Blue Jays?
It’s unclear whether Guerrero and Cease will miss significant time, but if they do, it would be costly for the injury-riddled Blue Jays. Catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb), right fielder Addison Barger (elbow), and right fielder Nathan Lukes (hamstring) are on the 10-day injured list. Right fielder Anthony Santander (shoulder) is on the 60-day injured list.
And that’s just the fielders. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer (forearm) remains on the 15-day injured list, and starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) is on the 60-day injured list.
The injuries are why Toronto — which represented the American League in the 2025 World Series — is off to a slow start in 2026. The Blue Jays are 25-28 after losing to the Pirates 4-1 on Sunday.
The Blue Jays would nosedive further without Guerrero and Cease. Entering Sunday, the first baseman led the team in on-base percentage (.386). The ace, meanwhile, led the team in ERA (3.05).
Toronto hopes both issues are minor. Otherwise, the team will continue to fall out of early postseason contention without the stars.
