Guerrero Jr. turns down all-star selection to rest lower back injury
The Toronto Blue Jays' star third baseman, a starter selection, is stepping back to recuperate before the second half of the season.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. turned down his all-star invitation Saturday, stepping back as a starter selection to heal a lower back injury that's been nagging him for close to a month.
The 27-year-old is one of three Blue Jays named to the mid-season classic — Dylan Cease and Louis Varland also made the team. But Guerrero Jr. decided rest was more important than the showcase game.
"I'm very grateful to fans who voted for me," he said. "It's one of the hardest parts of not going. But I really have to take care of myself, and I've got to put my team first for the second half."
Guerrero Jr. has struggled through the first half of 2026, posting a .268 average with just four home runs and 35 RBIs. The selection marked his sixth straight all-star nod. Cease joins the roster with a 2.79 ERA and 137 strikeouts — leading the American League — in his first all-star appearance after eight seasons. Varland, the 28-year-old closer, earned his first selection after a perfect 18-for-18 record in save chances with a 0.96 ERA.
