With half-billion extension locked up, Blue Jays' Vlad Guerrero Jr. now seeking first 2025 homer

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With whatever burden was on the shoulders of Vlad Guerrero Jr. as he awaited his contract extension to be finalized now gone, will the Blue Jays first baseman finally belt his first home run of the season?

Though Guerrero has been contributing offensively — including a three-hit performance in the Jays’ 2-1 extra-innings win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night — he has yet to hit his first home run of the season.

That 13-game stretch matches the longest stretch to start a season without a round-tripper for the Blue Jays’ $500-million man.

The slow slugging start dates back to Guerrero’s rookie 2019 season, when he was called up to much fanfare on April 26 and didn’t hit one out until May 14 in his 14th career game.

The then-teenager ended the drought in spectacular fashion, however, hitting at pair out at San Francisco’s Oracle Park to officially launch his career.

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Guerrero dismissed the distraction possibility as a hindrance early this season, telling reporters in Boston that “I kind of separate things,” when it comes to contract talks and preparing to play. That said, the level of distraction would have been amplified in the previous week as the negotiations on the 14-year, $500-million US contract reached the finish line.

“If I tell you it’s not a big relief, I’d be lying to you,” Guerrero told reporters in Boston when asked about having the talks finished and the likely lifetime deal locked up.

In fairness to Guerrero and some of the other Jays hitters, who have been grinding out wins in tight games on their way to an AL East-leading 8-5 record, the first six games on the current trip have been played in varying degrees of miserable weather.

The first three were at Citi Field in New York, followed by three more at Fenway Park. All six of those games have not exactly been contested in hitter-friendly conditions with cold and wet weather dominating.

Guerrero may have to wait until a Friday date in Baltimore to knock his first one out. He wasn’t in the starting lineup for Thursday’s game — a regularly scheduled rest day according to manager John Schneider — but was available off the bench for a pinch-hitting assignment if the situation were to arise.

Last season, Guerrero registered his first homer in the team’s opener in Tampa after waiting until his sixth game the previous season. In Guerrero’s career-high 48-homer campaign back in 2021, he had three in his first 13 contests.

While he may be awaiting that first home run of 2025, Guerrero was 3-for-5 on Wednesday, his fourth multiple-hit game in his past six. His 15 hits is third among Blue Jays to the resurgent George Springer, who has 17, and Bo Bichette’s 16. Guerrero’s batting average of .288 is bang on his career mark in that statistical category.

The Jays were looking to finish off a four-game sweep of their division rivals in Thursday’s matinee at Fenway. It would be just the second four-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway and first since way back in 1988.  The 10-game road swing concludes with a three-gamer against the Orioles starting Friday in Baltimore.

It figures to be a celebratory atmosphere when the Jays return to the Rogers Centre for the first of three games against the Atlanta Braves on Monday.