TORONTO — As designated hitter, Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. eased his way into the lineup Monday in his first start since suffering a left hamstring injury a week ago.
He delivered a two-run single in Toronto's four-run sixth inning as the Blue Jays dumped the Minnesota Twins 10-4 in the opener of a six-game homestand.
Guerrero, who batted third, was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
"It took him a little bit to get into the game, and then he gets a two-out, two-strike, two-run single to right (field) because he's a great hitter," said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. "So it may take a day or two to get back into the swing of it.
"But I thought that at-bat there to tack on was huge."
Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run homer off Minnesota starter Joe Ryan in Toronto's four-run first inning and Andres Gimenez added a solo shot in the following frame.
Gimenez, George Springer and Nathan Lukes had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays (77-55), who reached the 10-run mark for the 13th time this season.
"That's what makes this so fun is that everybody is a part of this," said Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, who went six innings for the victory. "Everybody's got a hand on this, of why we win, (it's) pitching, hitting, defence, you name it."
Guerrero, who has 21 homers this season, was used as a pinch-hitter in Sunday's 5-3 loss in Miami. It was his first game appearance since he was hurt in an Aug. 18 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Guerrero suffered the injury as he stretched both legs to make a play at first base. He later left the game due to left hamstring inflammation.
In recent days, he took regular batting practice and tested the leg with running drills to prepare for his return.
Guerrero could be back at first base as early as Tuesday, Schneider said, adding they'll use a day-by-day approach for his return to the field.
Scherzer (5-2) gave up a pair of home runs to cleanup hitter Matt Wallner, who hit a solo shot in the fourth and added a two-run blast in Minnesota's three-run sixth inning.
Toronto answered in the bottom half of the sixth with a two-run double by Lukes and Guerrero's two-run single, giving him 71 RBIs on the season.
The Blue Jays remained five games ahead of Boston in the American League East division standings. The Red Sox edged the Baltimore Orioles 4-3.
Ryan (12-7) allowed six earned runs and seven hits over five innings. He had seven strikeouts and one walk.
Toronto has a 22-14 record since the all-star break. The Twins (59-72) have dropped six of their last seven games.
The Blue Jays have 30 games left in the regular season.
Toronto holds the second seed in the AL standings with a 4 1/2-game lead on the third-place Houston Astros, who were idle Monday. The top two seeds earn byes to the division series while the third seed plays in the wild-card round.
After this three-game series with the Twins, the Blue Jays will get an off-day before welcoming the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.
Toronto has two road trips and two homestands in September. Notable series include matchups against the Yankees in New York (Sept. 5-7) and the Astros (Sept. 9-11) and Red Sox (Sept. 23-25) at home.
The campaign concludes with a three-game set against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays (Sept. 26-28). The Blue Jays have made the playoffs three times in the last five years but have been swept in the wild-card round each time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
