Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recently had laser eye surgery, announced by Miami’s Laser Eye Center on Instagram and verified by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson‑Smith. The exact date isn’t clear, but the post came after a post‑op check, and the procedure shouldn’t hinder his offseason prep.
The 27‑year‑old endured a rough 2026, the first year of his 14‑year, $500 MM extension signed in April 2025. Over 144 games he posted a .260/.332/.356 line, nine homers and a 95 wRC+, just shy of league average. Power vanished: slugging fell to .356 and ISO to .096, both career lows. Hard‑hit rate slipped from 50.7% in 2025 to 44.3% in 2026, while exit velocity dipped from 92.0 mph to 90.3 mph.
He weathered several deep slumps that sank his totals, yet even his hot stretches lacked the usual punch. Through April his wRC+ sat at 158, buoyed by an unsustainable .396 BABIP, masking a modest .115 ISO. May (79 wRC+) and June (37 wRC+) punished him, while July offered a brief lift to 108 wRC+ with a .140 ISO still below league norm. August’s 56 wRC+ came amid a concussion stint, but September rebounded to 109 wRC+.
No month saw slugging or ISO surpass his career benchmarks of .478 and .193. Low BABIPs in May (.241), June (.213) and August (.239) helped explain the dip, but the core issue was a missing power stroke. Pitchers avoided the zone, prompting Guerrero to chase more marginal pitches and make contact on less ideal offerings.
Just over half of his 2025 pitches landed in the zone; that share fell to 45.4% in 2026, the lowest since his 2019 debut. He swung at 5% more overall pitches and 9.2% more out‑of‑zone offerings, raising his O‑Swing rate from 21.4% to 30.6%. Shadow‑Swing and Shadow‑Contact percentages rose 11.4% and 5.9% respectively, with Statcast assigning him a -22 Batting Run Value in the shadow and -15 in the heart of the zone.
The eye surgery hints at past pitch‑recognition woes, which may explain his struggles. For my money, fixing his vision could restore his swing’s sharpness. The Jays, sitting at a league‑worst .134 ISO and a 94 wRC+, need that boost. Will Guerrero rebound in 2027 and help Toronto climb out of the cellar?