{
  "id": 11016213,
  "title": "Blue Jays’ Shapiro backs Guerrero Jr. after comments: ‘I know how much he cares’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/blue-jays-shapiro-backs-guerrero-jr-after-comments-i-know-how-much-he",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-30T16:45:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/30/toronto-blue-jays-vladimir-guerrero-jr-mark-shapiro/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Toronto Blue Jays general manager Mark Shapiro remains confident in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., despite the first baseman's struggles this season. After Guerrero issued an apology for comments made in a Spanish-language interview, Shapiro emphasized that the comments were honest and genuine. He acknowledged that being a 27-year-old and dealing with the pressure of a multi-million dollar contract can be challenging. Shapiro stated that he believes in Guerrero as both a player and a person, and that his comments reflected his care for the team. Guerrero himself apologized on September 25, explaining that he didn't fully articulate his intentions. Guerrero's performance this year was subpar, with an OPS of .688 over 144 games and only nine home runs. Toronto's general manager, Ross Atkins, expressed optimism that the off-season will provide a better opportunity for Guerrero to regain his form. Both Atkins and Shapiro discussed the team's plans for Guerrero during the off-season, aiming to return him to his peak performance.",
  "summary": "Mark Shapiro’s belief in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hasn’t wavered. Despite a disappointing season from the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman, which ended with Guerrero issuing an apology for comments that surfaced in a Spanish-language interview before the club’s final series, Shapiro reiterated his belief in the six-time all-star while meeting with reporters on Wednesday at […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}