Toronto Blue Jays star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates after getting hit by a pitch on his right elbow in the fifth inning.
Guerrero exited immediately following the injury and headed to the clubhouse without talking to manager John Schneider or the trainer.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went directly to the dugout and left the game after being hit by a pitch. pic.twitter.com/jPWw5jGiTX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 24, 2026
Initial X-ray results revealed the five-time All-Star sustained an elbow contusion but avoided a fracture, the club announced.
Schneider said Guerrero got hit in the nerve of his elbow, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The five-time All-Star revealed postgame that his arm went numb and that he didn't have feeling in two fingers immediately after getting hit by the pitch.
"When that happened, I thought it was worse than this, but thank God nothing major," Guerrero said, per Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "Just a little bit painful, but thank God everything is fine."
Both Schneider and Guerrero were optimistic that he'll play Monday against the Miami Marlins.
"Right now, it hurts," Guerrero said, per Davidi. "But I'm going to take it day-by-day, see how it is (Monday)."
Guerrero has three homers with 22 RBIs and a .758 OPS this season. The 27-year-old has played in at least 156 games per campaign since 2021.
The Blue Jays also lost ace Dylan Cease to a left hamstring injury in the top of the inning after two mound visits from trainers. The right-hander was removed due to mild discomfort in his leg, the team announced.
Dylan Cease left his start with a trainer in the fifth inning pic.twitter.com/tGYF23pKTK
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 24, 2026
Cease will go for an MRI, but the initial signs seem to show that he may have avoided a major injury - something that Toronto's injury-ravaged rotation can ill afford.
"When we went out the first time, he was cramping up a little bit," Schneider said, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "Then, he still kind of felt it, obviously, so we wanted to be careful. He's going to get an MRI. All of the testing and stuff seemed pretty positive. He said he wants to make his next start, so we'll just see how he is in the next couple of days. We're just hoping for good news."
Cease owns a 3.05 ERA with 1.21 WHIP and an MLB-leading 92 strikeouts over 62 innings in his first season with Toronto. The 30-year-old has made at least 32 starts per year since 2021.
