Blue Jays' awful injury luck continues as stars exit vs. Pirates

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Blue Jays' awful injury luck continues as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Dylan Cease exit in same inning vs. Pirates

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 24, 2026 4:54 PM ET

The injury bug won't stop biting the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and starting pitcher Dylan Cease both exited in the fifth inning of a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. This continues the team's awful injury luck.

What injuries did Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dylan Cease suffer?

Per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Cease shook out his legs after a 1-1 pitch to first baseman Spencer Horwitz during the top of the fifth inning. Toronto manager John Schneider and trainer Jose Ministral visited him on the mound before letting him throw three more pitches.

After Cease exited the game, the team announced it removed him due to left hamstring discomfort.

UPDATE: RHP Dylan Cease was removed from today's game with mild left hamstring discomfort.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 24, 2026

Guerrero injured his right elbow when a 92 mph sinker from Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller dinged him. He appeared to scream something after the ball hit his arm.

The first baseman immediately went into the dugout. Shortly after, the team announced he underwent X-rays, which came back negative for a fracture.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went directly to the dugout and left the game after being hit by a pitch. pic.twitter.com/jPWw5jGiTX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 24, 2026

UPDATE: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from today's game with a right elbow contusion.

He underwent X-rays which came back negative for a fracture.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 24, 2026

How could injuries to Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. impact Blue Jays?

It's unclear whether Guerrero and Cease will miss significant time, but if they do, it would be costly for the injury-riddled Blue Jays. Catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb), right fielder Addison Barger (elbow), and right fielder Nathan Lukes (hamstring) are on the 10-day injured list. Right fielder Anthony Santander (shoulder) is on the 60-day injured list.

And that's just the fielders. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer (forearm) remains on the 15-day injured list, and starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) is on the 60-day injured list.

The injuries are why Toronto — which represented the American League in the 2025 World Series — is off to a slow start in 2026. The Blue Jays are 25-28 after losing to the Pirates 4-1 on Sunday.

The Blue Jays would nosedive further without Guerrero and Cease. Entering Sunday, the first baseman led the team in on-base percentage (.386). The ace, meanwhile, led the team in ERA (3.05).

Toronto hopes both issues are minor. Otherwise, the team will continue to fall out of early postseason contention without the stars.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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