Updating a previous report, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (forearm) is now in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox and right-hander Brayan Bello, playing first base and batting third in the order. Guerrero was not in the initial starting lineup on Friday after being removed from Thursday's series finale early against the Cleveland Guardians after being hit by a pitch in his right forearm. Thankfully, X-rays came back negative for any fractures, and the 26-year-old All-Star will now return to action for the weekend series. Fantasy managers in all leagues need to get Vladdy back in their starting lineups. Not only does he have the highest xBA (.326) in the league, but he's also hitting a cool .417 with a 1.273 OPS, two home runs and 10 RBI in 24 career at-bats against Bello.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (forearm) is absent from the starting lineup for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox despite manager John Schneider saying earlier in the day that he expected the All-Star slugger to return. Guerrero was pulled from Thursday's series finale against the Cleveland Guardians after he was hit by a pitch in his right forearm, but thankfully X-rays came back negative. The 26-year-old is considered day-to-day, and we'd be surprised if he's not back in there for Game 2 of the series in Beantown on Saturday. Ernie Clement will start at first on Friday and bat sixth against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello. Clement is hitless in five career at-bats versus Bello and lacks power, but the 29-year-old is hitting a cool .303 (77-for-254) on the year. However, he's in the fifth percentile for barrel rate and has an xBA of .269.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that he expects first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (forearm) to be in the team's lineup for their series opener against the hosting Boston Red Sox. The fantasy stalwart took a pitch to the forearm on Thursday from Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee and was forced from the outing early. However, X-rays returned negative, and it doesn't appear to be serious. Guerrero Jr. is slashing a solid .286/.389/.506 across 77 at-bats in the month, with three long balls, eight doubles, 14 runs scored, 14 RBI, and a 9:9 BB:K ratio. He'll line up against right-handed hurler Brayan Bello for Friday night's matchup if he's in the starting nine.

Updating a previous report, X-rays on Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s right forearm came back negative after he was hit by a pitch from Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee in Thursday's series finale, according to the team. Guerrero went 0-for-1 in the contest with a groundout before leaving the ballgame as a precaution. Fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old slugger to be day-to-day. There's a good chance that he'll be ready to return to action for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. The four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has the highest xBA in baseball at .327 and is in the 96th percentile in hard-hit rate and 98th percentile in xwOBA. Guerrero is a stud and should be in starting fantasy lineups whenever he's on the field.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (hand, wrist) left Thursday's contest early in the bottom of the fourth inning at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Guardians after he was hit by a Tanner Bibee pitch on his left hand/wrist in the second inning, according to MLB.com's Tim Stebbins. Before leaving early, Guerrero went 0-for-1 at the plate with a groundout. Ernie Clement moved from shortstop to first base, with Andres Gimenez moving from second to short and Davis Schneider entering the game to play second. The Blue Jays should have an update soon on the 26-year-old All-Star's status soon after he likely undergoes X-rays. Fantasy managers will be holding their breathe until then, as Vladdy is one of the best all-around hitters in the game. He entered Thursday slashing .282/.387/.450 with an .837 OPS, 11 homers, 40 RBI and 48 runs scored.UPDATE: X-rays came back negative on Guerrero.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. racked up seven total bases in a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks. Guerrero went 3-for-4 with a single, double, and his ninth home run of the seasona 448-foot solo shot in the third inning. The 26-year-old finished with three RBI. He is now slashing .281/.380/.434 in his seventh major-league season after signing a $500 million, 14-year contract with Toronto in the offseason. Guerrero continues to mash balls at an elite level, posting a 100th percentile expected batting average of .322 and an average exit velocity in the 95th percentile of 93.6 mph. If he can improve his launch angle and hit more balls in the air, his ceiling remains extremely high.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday in the second game of a series in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Ernie Clement will take over at first base and will bat sixth against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. This is Guerrero's first day off since back on April 10. The 26-year-old four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner only has eight long balls on the season through 247 at-bats, but he's thriving otherwise with a .275 average (68-for-247) with 29 RBI, 40 runs scored and a stolen base. So far in eight games in June, he's hitting .250 (8-for-32) with four doubles, three RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base. Clement has one of the slowest swings in the big leagues but stays short and makes plenty of contact. He's hitting .273 (54-for-198) on the year with limited power (three homers). He's hitless in two career at-bats versus Mikolas.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The 26-year-old hasn't displayed much power recently, with four extra-base hits in May (two doubles, two homers), but he's still been productive. Through 13 games in the month, Guerrero Jr. is batting a white-hot .354 (17-for-48), with 11 runs, six RBI, and as many walks as strikeouts (11). Furthermore, he's recorded a hit in 17 of his last 18 appearances. The Montreal native started the year off a little sluggish, but has really turned it on -- similar to how he did in 2024 before he hit .376 with a 1.128 OPS after the All-Star break. He's up to .294 now, with eight doubles, 20 RBI, 24 runs scored, and the highest walk rate of his career (14.2%).

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up in the eighth inning with two runners on and one out against Justin Slaten and sent his fourth home run of the season into the left field bleachers. In that moment, the Blue Jays were down 2-1 in the game, so the home run could not have come at a better moment. Before that at-bat, Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on the evening. The three-run shot provided the spark the team needed to hold onto a 4-2 victory, win back-to-back nights, and take the three-game series 2-1 against their AL division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. Next for Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays is a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at home. He will look to keep it rolling, as he is now slashing .267/.358/.422 on the season.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. somehow didn't have a home run entering Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Guerrero struck out in his first at-bat, but finally joined the home run club later in the game. He blasted a 412-foot home run off stud right-hander Spencer Strider in the sixth inning of Wednesday's contest. Guerrero would finish his day 2-for-3 with a walk, home run, and two RBI in the win. He's currently slashing .292/.373/.389 with one homer and 10 RBI. Fantasy managers are hopeful Guerrero will start blasting more long balls.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Will Wagner will make the start at first base and bat fifth against Red Sox right-hander Walker Buehler. This will be Guerrero's first day off of the 2025 season after he started the year going 15-for-52 (.288) with three doubles, four RBI, six walks and 10 strikeouts in 13 games played. While the 26-year-old has hit well, he still hasn't cleared the fences for his fantasy managers. That will hopefully happen this weekend in Baltimore against the division-rival Orioles. Until then, fantasy managers will need to move Vladdy to their benches on Thursday. Wagner has gotten off to an 8-for-30 start in 10 games with two doubles and two RBI for Toronto. He has never faced Buehler in his career.

According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the team agreed on a 14-year, $500 million contract extension. This deal is the third-largest in MLB history and the second-richest in present-day value behind only New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto's contract. After a few free-agent misses during the offseason, the Blue Jays locked in their top player for what will likely be the remainder of his professional career. Throughout his seven-year MLB career with the Blue Jays, he has held a .287/.362/.498 slash line with 160 home runs, 478 runs, 511 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. This deal, undoubtedly, is the largest contract in Blue Jays history, and the fans, the organization, and Guerrero should all be excited about the extension.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Toronto Blue Jays have made another offer in their negotiations with All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but a gap still remains between the two sides. Guerrero reportedly made a final offer to the Blue Jays during spring training for 15 years and less than $600 million. It makes tons of sense for Toronto to be hesitant to give a player like Guerrero a deal that long, although he is only 26 years old and is coming off his fourth straight All-Star appearance. He slashed .323/.396/.544 with a .940 OPS, 30 home runs, 103 RBI and 98 runs scored in 159 games played in 2024 in his sixth year in the big leagues. Contract issues aside, Vlad is RotoBaller's top-ranked fantasy first baseman after he finished last year as a top-15 overall hitter in MLB.

Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports that Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro believes the team will reach an agreement with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on an extension. "We have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome," said Shapiro. "Vlad wants to play his whole career as a Toronto Blue Jay. We want him to end his career in a Blue Jays uniform...That's a pretty good place to start." When negotiations were last reported, Vladdy Jr. and the Jays were roughly $50 million apart, as the star slugger is looking for a contract similar to that of New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto. Guerrero Jr. hit a career-high .323 last season and has not played in fewer than 156 games since the start of 2021. Whether both parties will strike a deal remains to be seen. Regardless, the 26-year-old is RotoBaller's top option at first base and should be one of the more productive bats overall in 2025.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says that the latest contract-extension proposal his representatives presented to the team was for 15 years and significantly lower than outfielder Juan Soto's deal with the New York Mets -- even lower than $600 million. Toronto and Guerrero were unable to agree on anything before the start of spring training, setting him up to be a free agent after the 2025 season. "I'm looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way," Guerrero said. In seven games this spring, the 25-year-old slugger is hitting .412 with a 1.121 OPS, a homer and three RBI in seven games. Contract issues aside, Guerrero is the top-ranked fantasy first baseman at RotoBaller this year and has added protection in outfielder Anthony Santander.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said on Thursday that he plans to bat first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the two-hole this year, with new outfielder Anthony Santander behind him in the No. 3 spot. "2,3 Vlad and Tony (Santander), and then from there could be Bo (Bichette).. could be Bo 1, could be Bo 4, depending on who we're facing," Schneider said. Guerrero mostly hit third for the Blue Jays in 2024 despite beginning the season in the two-hole. The 25-year-old has been an All-Star each of the last four seasons and went on to hit .323/.396/.544 with a .940 OPS, 30 home runs, 103 RBI and 98 runs scored in 697 plate appearances and 159 games played. Especially with added protection in Santander behind him in the batting order, Vladdy should be considered a top-15 fantasy hitter. He finished last year as the top fantasy first baseman and is ranked there heading into his seventh big-league season.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was unable to reach a contract extension with the team before the set deadline. Earlier in the offseason, the first baseman set a February 18 deadline for contract discussions to not interfere with spring training. However, both sides were unable to come to an agreement and will now resume talks at the conclusion of the season. The 25-year-old is set to reach free agency following the 2025 campaign and will likely be the top player on the open market. Last season, Guerrero posted an impressive .323/.396/.544 slash line with 30 home runs and two stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated an elite .408 xwOBA, .321 xBA, and a .567 xSLG, which placed him in the 98th percentile among qualified hitters. He has hit at least 30 home runs in three of his previous four campaigns and held an overall .293/.370/.517 line over this stretch. Guerrero should be viewed as the consensus top first baseman in all formats heading into the 2025 campaign.

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins acknowledged that talks with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remain ongoing on a potential contract extension with the start of spring training coming next week. Guerrero has reportedly set a self-imposed deadline for contract talks for the start of spring training, and it's been widely reported that he is looking for at least $100 million more than the $340 million deal the Blue Jays reportedly offered earlier this offseason. The implication is that if Toronto doesn't make progress with Guerrero soon, he will leave in free agency after the 2025 season. Contract issues aside, Vladdy Jr. is in his prime offensively and is ranked as RotoBaller's top fantasy first baseman after the four-time All-Star slashed .323/.396/.544 with a .940 OPS, 30 homers and 103 RBI in 159 games last year.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Toronto Blue Jays have no intention of trading first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Nightengale noted that even if the Blue Jays sign free agent Pete Alonso, Guerrero is expected to remain on the roster. If Alonso inks a deal with Toronto, this would likely shift Guerrero back to the hot corner and would provide insurance at first base if Guerrero were to walk in free agency after the 2025 season. Guerrero and the Blue Jays have begun contract discussions but have been unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal. Last summer, Guerrero enjoyed an excellent season as he posted a stellar .323/.396/.544 line with 30 home runs and 103 RBI. He generated elite metrics such as a .408 xwOBA, .321 xBA, and a 54.9% hard-hit rate, which were all within the 98th percentile among active hitters. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this situation, as Alonso would bring another much-needed impact bat to the Toronto starting nine.

According to Andy Martino of SNY, the New York Mets have checked in on the availability of Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero is set to hit the free agent market following the 2025 season. The Blue Jays have prioritized extending Guerrero but remain far from a contract. Both sides have established a deadline to end talks on February 18, when the first team workout will occur. Martino noted that it is far from certain the star infielder will ever be available for trade. However, if conservation talks continue to remain unsuccessful and the Blue Jays fall out of the playoff picture, they could entertain a trade before he hits free agency. The Mets would have to send Toronto several of their top prospects to acquire the 25-year-old. If he hits the free-agent market, he will be in store for a massive contract. Last summer, Guerrero posted a stellar .323/.396/.544 line with 30 home runs. Under the hood, he generated an impressive .408 xwOBA and a 54.9% hard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should view Guerrero as the consensus No.1 first baseman in all fantasy formats.