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Inside The Blue Jays

Blue Jays Notes: Brandon Valenzuela Rises, Vladimir Guerrero Slugs, Road Woes

April is coming to a close, and the Blue Jays are starting to look like themselves after a brutal start to the year.
Maddy Dickens|
Apr 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) gestures to a fan during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre.
Apr 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) gestures to a fan during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

It is hard to be too critical of the Toronto Blue Jays after the team's 7-1 loss against the Minnesota Twins in the series opener as the team was 7-3 in the last 10 games going into that game, as shorthanded as they are.

The Blue Jays finally have some momentum swinging in their favor as key players are starting to rejoin the roster, like starting pitcher Trey Yesavage and designated hitter George Springer. Those are two crucial guys for this organization.

At this point, the Jays still sit three games under .500, but the record doesn't tell even 1% of the story: it's been an injury-plagued season that has given one young catcher a real chance at the majors, as Alejandro Kirk has been sidelined with a fractured thumb.

On top of Brandon Valenzuela really finding his swing in Kirk's absence, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is building a Silver Slugger campaign as he is getting better and better as the year goes on.

While it is important to take most negatives right now with a grain of salt, the final note isn't a positive one. It is becoming much more difficult to ignore this ballclub's problems once they get outside of Toronto, injured or not.

Valenzuela's Major League Debut

Brandon Valenzuela holds a baseball in blue Blue Jays catcher's gea
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Sure, looking at Valenzuela's .200 batting average on the year wouldn't make someone guess that he is starting to gain confidence in the majors. But it is how he is progressing that counts, as he is hitting .250 in his last seven games and over .330 in his last three.

The more trips to the plate that the 25-year-old gets to make the better he is going to keep getting. While Kirk works on getting healthy, John Schneider is feeling less and less of a burden on his shoulders as Valenzuela starts to look really comfortable against the big-league pitchers.

Vladdy Putting On a Clinic

The Jays' first baseman has always been known for his offensive power, so it isn't shocking that he is hitting .355 on the year as he is seemingly always raising the bar. But Guerrero Jr. is showing that he really doesn't have any sort of ceiling.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr breaks a bat after hitting a baseball in a blue Blue Jays jerse
Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) breaks a bat on a pitch by Minnesota Twins pitcher Andrew Morris (78) in the eighth inning at Target Field | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

In the last seven games, Vladdy is hitting .417 to complement a near .500 on-base percentage while only striking out in a measly 8% of his at-bats.

Problems Away From Rogers Centre

It isn't unheard of for a team to struggle away from their home field, but for a ballclub that wants to win the World Series, it can't be what it is for the Jays right now, as they are 4-9 on the road. That few of wins are tied for the second-fewest in the majors.

At Rogers Centre, Toronto's pitching staff leads all of baseball in strikeouts. On the road? 26th. The staff also holds opponent's toa .235 batting average in Canada, but when they get outside of Toronto it shoots up to .254.

But the defense isn't the only part of the team that struggles outside of Rogers Centre as the offense as the third-fewest runs in either the American or National Leagues on the road with a .650 OPS.

Again, this ballclub has been dismantled by injuries, and baseball is the longest season in professional sports, so there is plenty of time to figure this out before it is a true concern. So, it is just on the radar for right now, highlighted by the recent loss in Minnesota.

The Twins series is a four-game stretch, so Toronto has three games to make up for the loss and another three in Florida when they face the Tampa Bay Rays before the road trip is over. This could be an entirely different story when the team heads back to Canada.

For now, the Jays just need to focus on this next game in Minnesota and try to get back to .500 while the roster inches closer to being somewhat healthy.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.