Vladimir Guerrero Jr's Blue Jays leadership on full display after Adam Macko moment

One of the bright spots in what's been a mostly frustrating season for Toronto Blue Jays has been the contributions of their rookies. A team that was loaded with veteran talent coming off a World Series run wasn't expected to have to turn to their farm system so early. Aside from the addition of Kazuma Okamoto, who at 29-years-old and an 11-year veteran of Nippon Professional Baseball but still considered a rookie in MLB, the Blue Jays likely didn't expect to be relying on these fresh faced newbies to pick up wins in 2026.

Yohendrick Piñango has been a breath of fresh air in the lineup. Brandon Valenzuela has been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. And Trey Yesavage is proving his three game regular season stint, and staring role in the postseason was no fluke. And even though it's been the smallest of small sample sizes, Canadian left-handed reliever Adam Macko could join this list.

Macko's first taste of the big leagues came in three outings at Yankee Stadium over this past week in which the Blue Jays managed to get a series split against the Bronx Bombers in their first meeting since the 2025 ALDS. It's a debut series to remember for Macko as not only did he get the results the Blue Jays needed him to, he also made a gaff that team clubhouse leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was quick to call him out on.

On Thursday night (May 21) Macko struck out Yankees hitter Ben Rice and started heading to the dugout. The problem was, there were only two outs in the inning. Macko froze in his tracks and return to the mound and was greeted by Guerrero who said, "here in the big leagues we have 3 outs.’ The two Canadians shared a laugh on the mound before Macko gave the ball to manager John Schneider to officially end his night.

It capped off a stretch for Macko in which he made three appearances in four days, resulting in three innings pitched, and allowing two hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. It was as impressive as a debut as one can get considering he was asked to face the Yankees in some high leverage situations. He also managed to retire some heavyweights in the lineup including Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ben Rice, Ryan McMahon and Paul Goldschmidt.

Vladdy keeping things loose seems like a good thing right now for the Blue Jays

The meeting with Vladdy on the mound was a great sign for not only Macko as a rookie but for Vladdy as a leader. Now 27-years-old, Guerrero is "the guy" and it's his clubhouse now and it's up to him to make everyone feel welcome. It's also up to him to try and keep things loose when the team is struggling. Sometimes it's a very fine line. Fans don't really want to see guys smiling and fooling around when the team isn't playing well, and Guerrero, over the last few weeks has shown some visible signs of being frustrated with his own performance.

However, that clearly hasn't affected how he treats his teammates, no matter how long or how little he has known them. Leaders don't just lead with the numbers, they lead by their actions. After Guerrero hit a home run in Detroit last weekend, his first since April 20, he did it from hitting in the number two hole, a spot he historically hasn't loved hitting in. But mired in a slump, Guerrero told reporters after the game, "Right now if they want me to lead off and the team needs me there, I’ll lead off."

Veteran starter Kevin Gausman also told reporters following the game, "We were just sitting there waiting for it. He's frustrated. You can see it. He's maybe not the best at hiding those things, but that's just Vladdy. He expects what he expects, and we know the type of player he can be so it was nice to see him get that monkey off his back.”

A series split against the Yankees, coming off a series win over the Tigers gives the Blue Jays a 4-3 record on this road trip. It could have gone better considering how winnable the first two games in the Bronx were, before the Blue Jays ended up in the losing column. But considering that Guerrero looks like he's starting to come around (.346 OBP, .746 OPS in his last six games with three walks and one strikeout) and that he's still having fun on the field with guys like Macko, maybe the Blue Jays are starting to regain their 2025 vibes, ever so slightly.

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