Vladimir Guerrero Jr. undergoes laser eye surgery after career-worst season
The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman had the procedure in Miami after posting career lows in several offensive categories.
TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has undergone laser eye surgery, the Laser Eye Center of Miami confirmed in an Instagram post.
The centre posted Friday that Guerrero "is doing great at his post-op" visit after the procedure performed by Dr. Gabriel Lazcano.
"Home Run Vision. An elite hitter like Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leaves nothing to chance, not even his vision," the post said, adding it was "looking forward to an MVP year and lots of home runs with his new vision."
READ MORE: Blue Jays leadership backs Guerrero Jr. after disappointing season
READ MORE: Blue Jays face pivotal off-season after disappointing 79-83 finish
The surgery follows a difficult 2026 campaign for the 27-year-old, the first year of a 14-year, $500-million contract extension he signed in April 2025.
In 144 games, Guerrero batted .260 with a .332 on-base percentage, a .688 OPS, nine home runs and 57 RBIs, all full-season career lows.
His .356 slugging percentage and .096 isolated power were also career lows, and his hard-hit rate fell from 50.7 per cent in 2025 to 44.3 per cent.
His average exit velocity declined from 92.0 mph last year to 90.3 mph this year.
Pitchers threw fewer pitches in the strike zone to Guerrero this season, with his zone percentage dropping to 45.4 per cent, the lowest since his 2019 rookie year.
He swung at 5 per cent more pitches overall and 9.2 per cent more pitches out of the zone, according to analysis from MLB Trade Rumors.
Statcast rated Guerrero at -22 in Batting Run Value for pitches in the shadow of the zone, and -15 in the heart of the zone.
He drew 56 walks over 609 plate appearances, his lowest total in a full season since 2019.
Guerrero's season included a 158 wRC+ in April, but he posted a 37 wRC+ in June and a 56 wRC+ in August, when he spent a week on the concussion injured list.
The Blue Jays missed the playoffs with a 79-83 record, scoring a major-league-low 648 runs.
The team posted a league-worst .134 isolated power as a whole.
Only Kazuma Okamoto and George Springer, who is now a free agent, posted above-league-average offensive production among qualified Toronto hitters.
Guerrero has been wearing contact lenses on the field for several years and glasses after games.
Garbutt Disposal reported in September that team president Mark Shapiro expressed his belief in Guerrero despite the player's struggles and controversial comments about his contract.
The first baseman's 2025 season ended with a World Series appearance for Toronto, its first in over 30 years.
With files from Sportsnet, MLB Trade Rumors and Yardbarker