TORONTO – As designated hitter, Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. eased his way into the lineup Monday in his first start since suffering a left hamstring injury every week ago.
He delivered a two-run single in Toronto’s four-run sixth inning because the Blue Jays dumped the Minnesota Twins 10-4 within the opener of a six-game homestand.
Guerrero, who batted third, was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
“It took him slightly bit to get into the sport, after which he gets a two-out, two-strike, two-run single to right (field) because he’s a fantastic hitter,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “So it could take a day or two to get back into the swing of it.
“But I assumed that at-bat there to tack on was huge.”
Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run homer off Minnesota starter Joe Ryan in Toronto’s four-run first inning and Andres Gimenez added a solo shot in the next frame.
Gimenez, George Springer and Nathan Lukes had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays (77-55), who reached the 10-run mark for the thirteenth time this season.
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“That’s what makes this so fun is that everyone is a component of this,” said Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, who went six innings for the victory. “Everybody’s got a hand on this, of why we win, (it’s) pitching, hitting, defence, you name it.”
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Guerrero, who has 21 homers this season, was used as a pinch-hitter in Sunday’s 5-3 loss in Miami. It was his first game appearance since he was hurt in an Aug. 18 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Guerrero suffered the injury as he stretched each legs to make a play at first base. He later left the sport as a result of left hamstring inflammation.
In recent days, he took regular batting practice and tested the leg with running drills to organize for his return.
Guerrero could possibly be back at first base as early as Tuesday, Schneider said, adding they’ll use a day-by-day approach for his return to the sector.
Scherzer (5-2) gave up a pair of home runs to cleanup hitter Matt Wallner, who hit a solo shot within the fourth and added a two-run blast in Minnesota’s three-run sixth inning.
Toronto answered in the underside half of the sixth with a two-run double by Lukes and Guerrero’s two-run single, giving him 71 RBIs on the season.
The Blue Jays remained five games ahead of Boston within the American League East division standings. The Red Sox edged the Baltimore Orioles 4-3.
Ryan (12-7) allowed six earned runs and 7 hits over five innings. He had seven strikeouts and one walk.
Toronto has a 22-14 record for the reason that all-star break. The Twins (59-72) have dropped six of their last seven games.
The Blue Jays have 30 games left within the regular season.
Toronto holds the second seed within the AL standings with a 4 1/2-game lead on the third-place Houston Astros, who were idle Monday. The highest two seeds earn byes to the division series while the third seed plays within the wild-card round.
After this three-game series with the Twins, the Blue Jays will get an off-day before welcoming the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.
Toronto has two road trips and two homestands in September. Notable series include matchups against the Yankees in Recent York (Sept. 5-7) and the Astros (Sept. 11th of September) and Red Sox (Sept. 23-25) at home.
The campaign concludes with a three-game set against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays (Sept. 26-28). The Blue Jays have made the playoffs 3 times within the last five years but have been swept within the wild-card round every time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press