Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays announced Sunday that first base coach Mark Budzinski is taking a leave of absence following the death of his daughter Julia.

"The Budzinskis have been part of our Blue Jays family over the last four seasons," general manager Ross Atkins said. "This devastating loss is felt by our entire organization and we grieve alongside Bud and his family."

Luis Hurtado took over for Budzinski as the first base coach midway through Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The team said following the game Budzinski was tending to a "personal matter."

The Blue Jays named Budzinski as their first base coach ahead of the 2019 season. Prior to that, he had worked on the Cleveland Guardians' staff and managed across multiple levels in their minor league system.

The 48-year-old made four appearances as an MLB player for the Cincinnati Reds in 2003.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s return to the Home Run Derby will have to wait another year.

After Monday's win over the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays star told Sportsnet he turned down an invitation to compete in this year's event to prevent a recurrence of a left wrist injury he suffered earlier this season.

"My wrist is fine right now, but I've got to be careful—there are too many swings in a home run derby," Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron. "I don't want to take a chance that my wrist gets hurt again and it gets bad and I won't be able to help the team win, which is what we're trying to do here. I don't want to risk it."

Guerrero made his Derby debut in 2019, when he stole the show despite not winning. The 23-year-old set the record for most homers in a single round twice, including 40 in the semifinals against Joc Pederson.

His 91 total homers were also the most by an individual player in the history of the Home Run Derby. He lost to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso in the final, 23-22.

There was no Home Run Derby in 2020 because of the shortened regular season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was voted in as the American League's starting first baseman for the 2021 All-Star Game but declined a Derby invitation to give his body more rest for the second half.

The Blue Jays scratched Guerrero from the starting lineup prior to their May 29 game against the Los Angeles Angels because of wrist soreness. He did enter the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, drawing a walk.

Guerrero hasn't missed a game as a result of the injury. He has started all 26 games for the Blue Jays since May 31 and is hitting .286/.375/.591 with nine homers during that span.

The Blue Jays are in a tight battle for the AL Wild Card. There is one game separating the Boston Red Sox (42-32), Blue Jays (41-32) and Tampa Bay Rays (40-32) for those three spots. The Cleveland Guardians (36-33) and Texas Rangers (35-37) are the only clubs within five games of the Rays for the final playoff berth.

Losing Guerrero for anything length of time would be a huge blow to Toronto's postseason hopes. He leads the team with 18 homers and 45 RBI in 72 games this season.

Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez has been suspended five games by Major League Baseball.

Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, announced Martinez's suspension "for making contact with umpire Doug Eddings and for his unsportsmanlike conduct during the pregame lineup card exchange prior to his club’s Wednesday’s game against the White Sox in Chicago."

MLB also fined Martinez an undisclosed amount.

The incident occurred when Martinez met with the umpiring crew while delivering the lineup card. He shook the hands of all five crew members but appeared to say something to Doug Eddings afterward.

First-base umpire Lance Barrett made the signal to toss Martinez from the game. Dan Shulman, play-by-play commentator for SportsNet, said on the broadcast that Martinez doesn't usually deliver the lineup card before games.

Eddings served as the home-plate umpire for Tuesday's contest between the Blue Jays and White Sox. He had a horrible game calling balls and strikes, with Umpire Scorecards noting he got 29 calls wrong.

Per Umpire Auditor, the 29 missed calls by Eddings were the most by an umpire in a game this season.

After getting tossed from the game, Martinez took a step toward Eddings and the two appeared to have a heated discussion for a few moments.

Martinez is in his fourth season as Toronto's hitting coach. He began his MLB coaching career with the Blue Jays as their hitting instructor from 2011-13.

The Chicago Cubs hired Martinez to be the hitting instructor for their high-A team in Kane County in 2014. He remained with the team for five seasons before going back to the Blue Jays.

Martinez's suspension will begin on Friday. The 37-year-old will be eligible to return for Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre.

Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer exited Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox with right elbow discomfort, the team announced.

It's unclear if Springer will miss any time moving forward because of the ailment.

Springer missed one game this season because of an ankle injury suffered in a May 13 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He sprained his left ankle trying to make a catch at the wall in the second inning.

The injury looked similar to one Springer sustained in August 2021. The three-time All-Star had to miss two weeks as a result, but he looked fine after returning. He posted a .256/.336/.470 slash line with six homers and 15 RBI over the final 29 games during the regular season.

Springer is off to a good start so far this season. The 32-year-old has a .263/.337/.496 slash line with 13 homers and 34 RBI in 62 games.

If Springer is unable to suit up for the Blue Jays on Wednesday and beyond, Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer can fill in at center field. Tapia has been Toronto's primary starter in right field.

Zimmer has struggled offensively with a .440 OPS in 62 at-bats, but he's been good on defense throughout his career.

The Blue Jays are second in the AL East with a 38-29 record, 11.5 games behind the first place New York Yankees and just one game ahead of the third place Boston Red Sox. They'll need Springer to remain healthy to maintain that second place position.

Nick Frasso, Dahian Santos and Braden Scott combined to strike out 24 batters Saturday night to lead the Dunedin Blue Jays to a 1-0 win over the Tampa Tarpons.

Dunedin, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, limited Tampa hitters to just two hits while recording all but three outs via the K. The Tarpons are a New York Yankees affiliate.

"It was honestly one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen," Dunedin pitching coach Drew Hayes told Joe Trezza of MLB Pipeline. "I started in pro ball in 2010, and I don't have words for what I watched tonight."

By comparison, the most strikeouts by an MLB team in a nine-inning game is 20, which has been accomplished six times.

Frasso started the game and struck out eight of the 10 batters he faced across three innings. Santos followed with 10 strikeouts in four innings, and Scott closed out the contest by recording all six of his outs by K.

Here's the final team pitching line: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 24 K.

"It was nine innings of pitchers just being ultra aggressors," Hayes said. "That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen."

Cameron Eden delivered the game's only run with a solo homer in the fourth inning for the Blue Jays.

Racking up strikeouts isn't a rarity for the Dunedin staff. The club entered Sunday's play leading the Florida State League with 382 strikeouts, 44 more than any other FSL team.

The high K rates haven't translated into consistent success, however, as the Blue Jays have also allowed the league's most runs (160) and own a 13-19 record.

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder George Springer left his team's road game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday with a left ankle sprain.

The injury occurred after Springer made a leaping catch attempt on a deep Kevin Kiermaier shot to center field in the bottom of the second inning.

Despite Springer's valiant effort, the ball fell in play, and Kiermaier ended up with a triple.

Springer stayed in the game and took a third inning at-bat that ended with a groundout. After the half-inning ended, Ramiel Tapia replaced him in the lineup.

The 31-year-old signed a six-year, $150 million contract to join the Blue Jays in 2021. Prior to his Toronto stint, he spent seven years with the Houston Astros, making three All-Star teams and winning the 2017 World Series, earning the Fall Classic MVP in the process.

He also earned a pair of Silver Slugger awards en route to a stat line of .270 (.852 OPS), 174 home runs and 458 RBI.

Springer was excellent in limited action with the Blue Jays, hitting .264 (.907 OPS) with 22 home runs and 50 RBI in 78 games.

However, injuries kept him off the field for much of the season. A left oblique strain put him on the injured list in April, and a right quad strain placed him there in May.

Springer only suited up four times until June 22 but was a power-hitting force upon his return. Unfortunately, he was sidelined again after suffering a left knee sprain against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 14.

Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors gave the information:

"Springer made an awkward landing while attempting to catch a Ty France triple to the wall in the seventh inning, and Springer immediately grabbed at his ankle area after hitting the ground. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, albeit gingerly."

Toronto announced that Springer would go on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 17. He returned to the team on Aug. 30.

This season, Springer entered Friday hitting .283 (.875 OPS) with seven home runs and 18 RBI in 31 games.

Springer is obviously a tough loss, largely because of his tremendous bat. If he has to miss extended time, options to replace him in the lineup include Tapia and Bradley Zimmer.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is just 23 years old and surely in line for a massive contract extension down the line, but he is reportedly not interested in discussing that until after the 2022 campaign.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Guerrero's representatives told the American League East team that they plan on postponing contract negotiations until after the season, "when they may be more amenable to exploring something significant."

Guerrero is not set for unrestricted free agency until 2026 but is scheduled for arbitration in each of the next three years.

The corner infielder hit 15 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and played all 60 games during the shortened 2020 campaign before last season was his breakout one.

He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner who finished second in American League MVP voting with a .311/.401/.601 slash line, 48 home runs and 111 RBI. The home run, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all led the league, as did his OPS total of 1.002.

Guerrero also further proved his durability by appearing in 161 games.

The Montreal native has been under the spotlight this year, and he has responded in dramatic fashion with a .391/.417/.957 slash line, four home runs and eight RBI in Toronto's first six games. He is a major reason the team is off to a 4-2 start and looks the part of a contender in the AL East.

Guerrero also drilled three home runs in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the New York Yankees as the Blue Jays look to create some early momentum with division contests.

If Guerrero can help them do just that and perhaps even challenge for a deep playoff run while performing at an MVP level, he certainly will be in line for quite the contract extension at the end of the season when he is ready to reopen discussions.          

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly sent a multiyear contract offer to shortstop Bo Bichette, but the two sides are not "close at this time," per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The 24-year-old Bichette played his first full MLB season in 2021. He led the majors with 191 hits and ended the year with 29 home runs, 102 RBI and a .298 batting average. Bichette also earned his first-ever All-Star Game appearance.

He is currently eligible to become a free agent after the 2025 season.

Obviously, time isn't of the essence with Bichette ineligible to become a free agent for another three years. But the Blue Jays would still be wise to keep him around long term before he has the chance to leave Toronto.

Bichette is part of a loaded Jays lineup that includes superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., slick-fielding third baseman Matt Chapman and a slew of veterans who can rake, such as outfielders George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez.

Ultimately, the Blue Jays look like they could be positioned for a World Series window, especially with a strong group of starters that includes Alek Manoah, Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman. 

They're off to a good start already, going 4-2 after six games. Bichette and the Jays will look to close out a series win against the New York Yankees when they take on the hosts on Thursday evening.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had himself a monster night against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, launching three home runs in his second career four-hit game.

Guerrero blasted two moonshots off of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to give Toronto an early lead:

He followed up with his third homer in the eighth inning to give the Blue Jays a much-needed insurance run:

After finishing second in the voting for American League MVP last season, Guerrero looks to be picking up right where he left off. He now has four home runs and eight RBI in the 2022 season.