NEW YORK (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. passed his final concussion tests and the Toronto Blue Jays slugger is expected to return from the seven-day injured list on Saturday.
Guerrero returned to the team on Friday and took swings in the batting cage after doubling during a minor league rehabilitation game for Single-A Dunedin on Thursday.
“He felt good,” manager John Schneider said before the Blue Jays opened a three-game series with the Yankees. “Even before he left to play in Clearwater, he was feeling good. He feels pretty normal, so that’s a good thing.”
Guerrero left a 3-1 win in Toronto over the Yankees last Friday after a collision with New York rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. on a bizarre play at third base in the sixth inning.
The six-time All-Star was injured when he slid at third base and had Lombard’s knee and thigh strike his head. The play caused Guerrero’s helmet to get dislodged, though the first baseman scored the tying run before exiting.
Guerrero is batting .263 with seven homers and 46 RBIs. Before the collision, he was hitting .310 (7 for 29) in his last seven games.
Newly acquired infielder Josh Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list with left hamstring inflammation. Smith was injured during Wednesday’s 7-6 loss at Tampa Bay and completed the game.
Smith is hitting .250 in 14 games since being acquired from Texas at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The Blue Jays also activated pitcher Spencer Arrighetti from the injured list after the right-hander missed time with an irritated right foot. Arrighetti was acquired at the deadline from Houston for outfielder Daulton Varsho and was expected to serve as a bulk reliever after opener Mason Fluharty.
Toronto also recalled outfielder Davis Schneider, who is hitting .142 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 61 games. Schneider was hitting .219 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 37 games with Triple-A Buffalo.
Toronto’s final move was optioning reliever Brendan Cellucci to Triple-A. The lefty did not appear in a game after being recalled on Wednesday.
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Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) scores a run past Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman (not shown) during ninth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) grimaces as he crosses the plate after scoring following a throwing error by New York Yankees first baseman Luis García Jr. (26) during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Tucker is searching at the plate, looking for anything to escape an offensive slump that has made the four-time All-Star outfielder a liability in the Los Angeles Dodgers' chase for a third consecutive World Series championship.
He took batting practice on the field Friday, ahead of the team's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Usually, Tucker hits in the indoor cage.
“Just feel a good swing, try and find something that I can repeat with good ball flight, whether it’s hit the other way or pulled,” he said. "Just try to do something like that and carry it over to the game.”
Tucker was batting .232 going into Friday, with 11 home runs, 55 RBI and an OPS of .694. His 92 strikeouts are close to surpassing his career-high of 95, set with the Houston Astros in 2022.
He recently worked his way out of an 0-for-26 skid, going 3 for 9 with a double and an RBI in his last two games at Colorado. But over his last 10 games, Tucker is batting a measly .108 with four hits, two RBIs and four runs scored.
Defensively, Tucker got booed at home last weekend after he lost a shallow fly ball in right field, resulting in a two-base error against Milwaukee. At Colorado, he dropped another shallow fly.
It's all added up to a difficult debut with the Dodgers after he signed a $240 million, four-year deal in January, raising expectations that Tucker would add another big bat to go along with former MVPs Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
“Everyone here is super supportive of everything and everyone,” Tucker said. “So, regardless of how I feel or whatever, I’ve got to go out and play and perform.”
The soft-spoken, low-key Tucker paused a beat when considering the mental toll his slump is exacting.
“It’s been a struggle in the sense that I’d like to help our team win and perform better for the guys in the clubhouse and the fans that come to the games," he said. "In that aspect, I wish I would’ve done better this year.”
Manager Dave Roberts can't put his finger on specifics, but he feels Tucker has turned a corner.
“Mentally and emotionally, I think that he’s freed up,” Roberts said. “We’re in a fight and I think that he understands that there’s no other alternative but to keep going forward. I don’t know how to articulate it, but I just feel good about some of the things I’ve seen.”
With 1 1/2 months to go, the Dodgers (77-51) are battling the Brewers (80-49) for the best record in the National League.
“It's not over yet,” Tucker said. "Just gotta keep grinding every single day and just keep moving forward and just try to get better every single day. Just looking forward to finishing out the year strong.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) jumps up for the ball as Kansas City Royals' Kyle Isbel (28) hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Kyle Tucker singles off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
