Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is currently one of the worst players in MLB

Several stars are off to a slow start this season.

Shohei Ohtani and Cal Raleigh are struggling offensively. Fernando Tatis Jr. still hasn't hit a single home run since the start of the season. Jazz Chisholm Jr. talks more than he hits.

I could go on and on like this. But we have to talk about one guy in particular: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

I don't know if the Blue Jays player is hiding an injury, but for the past two weeks, he's been one of the worst players in MLB in terms of OPS. Manny Machado and Bo Bichette, too, for that matter.

Early in the season, Vladdy wasn't hitting for power, but he was putting the ball in play. However, for the past few days, he hasn't been doing that. His .188 average over his last 15 days (and .122 in May) is terrible.

In May, he has an OPS of .318 and a WAR of -0.5. A player with only nine extra-base hits this season (none since April 29) is of no use at the plate right now. In fact, he has only two singles since May 5…

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s wRC+ in the month of May is -6. NEGATIVE SIX. His fWAR for the month is -0.5. NEGATIVE HALF WAR. He's OPSing .318.

What the fuck is happening.

— Damon (@Damon98_) May 13, 2026

The rest of the offense isn't producing, and the chicken-or-egg debate rages on: is Vladdy poorly supported in the lineup… or is it up to him to carry the others?

We can all agree that a guy starting a $500 million contract needs to carry the offense on his shoulders. That's the bottom line.

Last year, he also got off to a rough start before signing his contract. He eventually turned it around and had a historically strong postseason. Except right now, the Blue Jays aren't in a position to think about the playoffs if things keep going this way.

So Vladdy will have to step up. Because becoming an automatic out isn't good for him—or for his team.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.