Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero sends Anthony Santander message amid concerns

The Toronto Blue Jays have good reason to be disappointed with their losing record.

Even after bringing in win-now additions like Andres Gimenez, Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer, the team sits below .500 and could be in danger of watching their playoff hopes slip away. There are plenty of places to lay the blame for this rough start, but one of the team’s most expensive offseason acquisitions seems to stand out.

After slashing .235/.308/.506 with 44 homers for the division rival Baltimore Orioles last year, Anthony Santander earned a five-year, $92.5 million deal to join the Blue Jays. Since joining, he’s slashing just .182/.264/.308 with 29 hits and 44 strikeouts.

That drop-off to start the season and some minor injuries have prompted concerns in Toronto. The Blue Jays have moved Santander down the batting order and held him out of a defensive role in hopes of spurring some better results.

“I’m battling,” Santander said after a recent game, per Julia Kreuz of MLB.com. “Really, I am. But I’m staying positive.”

As Santander looks to hit his way out of his slump, the Blue Jays have little choice but to stick with him and hope for better results. As Santander discussed his struggles with Kreuz, the Blue Jays’ $500 million franchise slugger sent a message to his teammate while at own locker nearby.

“Dios aprieta, pero no ahorca,” Guerrero said, per Kreuz, using a Spanish phrase that means, “God squeezes, but doesn’t choke.”

Guerrero seems confident his teammate will overcome his slump at the plate sooner or later. And his message is a good one for the organization as well. While the Blue Jays might have a losing record after almost one third of the season, they aren’t out of the playoff hunt just yet.

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