Maybe this is the reason why Toronto Blue Jays star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struggled in the 2026 season.

His vision.

The Laser Eye Center of Miami posted a photo to Instagram recently that showed Guerrero on a follow-up visit after laser surgery. It isn’t known just when the surgery took place.

The news is out.

The 2026 campaign was the eighth in the majors for Guerrero, who debuted in 2019 as a 20-year-old. Now 27, it was his worst MLB season by the numbers, minus the shortened 60-game pandemic season in 2020.

The six-time All-Star recorded lows in batting average (.260), on-base percentage (.332), slugging percentage (.356) and OPS (.688) over 144 games.

He managed just nine home runs and 57 RBIs – a stark contrast to his 2021 season when he led MLB with 123 runs and 48 homers. He added 111 RBIs and finished second in the American League MVP balloting to Shohei Ohtani, then of the Los Angeles Angels.

Guerrero is a two-time Silver Slugger. A pair of two key analytic numbers also dropped in 2026: his exit velocity dipped from an average of 92.0 in 2025 and to 90.3 on the recently completed season, and his hard-hit rate tumbled from 50.7% to 44.3% in the two-season span.

Guerrero and the Blue Jays made huge news when he signed a 14-year, $500 million contract extension in April 2025. That contract kicked in at the start of the 2026 season.

Is it possible Guerrero felt the heft of $500 million on his shoulders?

He got off to a hot start through April. While his power numbers were down – two homers and 15 RBIs in the first 31 games – he hit .354 and recorded 11 multi-hit games through April 30. But he couldn’t sustain that pace.

He batted .232 in May, .198 in June, .256 in July and .221 in August before a late-season rebound in September. He ended the campaign with a .275 month in September with two homers and nine RBIs, which included his only homer hit at Rogers Centre in 2026.

So, did his vision impact his success at the plate? We won’t know that until Guerrero speaks about his reasons for the laser surgery, if he does.

The Blue Jays finished this season a disappointing 79-83 and in last place in the American League East, a first-to-worst experience. Last season, they won the division with a 94-68 record.

They took out the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners in the American League playoffs and were within two outs of defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series. A solo home run by Miguel Rojas tied the score at 4, and a Will Smith homer won the game for the Dodgers in the 11th inning.

In 18 postseason games, Guerrero hit .397 (29-of-73) with five doubles, eight home runs and 15 RBIs.

The Blue Jays certainly will be hoping for – and expecting – a typical career season in 2027 from their $500 million man. Their fans want nothing more than the franchise’s first World Series championship since 1993.