Blue Jays may have just revealed the real reason behind Guerrero’s struggles this past season

It is no secret that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had his worst ever season with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2026. Blue Jays fans were baffled to see the incredibly severe drop-off in numbers. Considering the fact that Guerrero was coming off an unforgettable 2025 postseason performance, the lack of production was startling.

Was he nursing an undisclosed injury? Or was it something more psychological that affected his confidence?

Recent news from this past weekend may have finally revealed the reason behind his struggles. The 27-year-old Blue Jays slugger reportedly underwent laser eye surgery at the Laser Eye Center of Miami, as per Sportsnet. Perhaps it was his vision that affected his ability to hit effectively throughout the past season.

Not being able to see the ball would explain a lot of Vladimir Guerrero's issues from this past season

It would make a ton of sense for Guerrero's lack of production. If a batter cannot pick up a pitch coming at them from the pitchers release, it would completely throw off their timing at the plate. More importantly, even if Guerrero managed to get the bat on the ball his timing was clearly off a lot in 2026 - which affected his ability to barrel the ball and maximize his exit velocity after contact.

Guerrero posted a 44.3% hard hit percentage and 90.3 mph average exit velocity in 2026. Those numbers were his lowest marks since his rookie campaign in 2019. Guerrero also had a 6.9% barrel rate that ranked him in the 48th percentile. He also carried a launch angle sweet spot rate of just 28.7% which put him at an unfathomable 4th percentile.

In 2024 Guerreo's barrel rate was in the 91st percentile and last year it ranked in the 76th percentile. His sweep spot has dipped the last two years as well, from the 62nd percentile in 2024 to the 39th percentile last year, but the drop off down to the 4th percentile is extreme.

As a result, Guerrero only managed a .688 OPS with just nine home runs and 57 RBIs over 144 games played with the Blue Jays in 2026. Those numbers were even worse than his rookie season in 2019. For someone who is considered to be one of the top elite stars in the league, there’s no way they should fall completely off the face of the earth in terms of their performance without an explanation.

But with this weekend’s reveal, we may finally have the answer. Hopefully, with the corrected vision surgery for Guerrero, Blue Jays fans can now look forward to a revitalized and lethal Vladdy bouncing back in 2027.

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