Guerrero, Kirk out as Blue Jays look to clinch series win over Yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays will try to keep the pressure on the New York Yankees without two key hitters in the starting lineup.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Alejandro Kirk will both begin on the bench for the key divisional game on Saturday (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 3 p.m. ET / noon PT).

Ace Kevin Gausman will take the mound against Yankees star Cam Schlittler as the Jays look to build off a strong offensive showing Friday night led Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto in an 8-5 victory.

The slumping Guerrero will sit after a 1-for-5 showing in the win in which he had an RBI double and a strikeout. Guerrero has yet to hit a home run at home this season, and his most recent dinger overall came nearly one month ago on May 17 against the Detroit Tigers.

Charles McAdoo will slot in at first base in Guerrero's place, batting eighth.

Meanwhile, Kirk was playing Friday for the first time since suffering a fractured thumb in early April.

He wasted little time reminding everyone of his importance to the Blue Jays after successfully challenging a pitch on the opening offering of the game. He also showed his value by hitting an RBI double in his first plate appearance and adding two more hits later in the game.

Backup Brandon Valenzuela will return behind the dish and bat sixth in Kirk's place.

Saturday's contest could see runs at a premium with a compelling pitching matchup on the docket.

Gausman continues to be a stabilizing force in Toronto's rotation, given the injuries to many starters so far, with his 3.60 ERA through 14 starts. The veteran will look to get back to his earlier form after giving up four earned runs in each of his last two outings.

The 35-year-old has not pitched against the Yankees this season but did pick up two wins against them in 2025 while posting a 3.97 ERA and 18 strikeouts in four appearances.

The Yankees will turn to one of their top young arms in Schlittler, who has emerged as one of their most reliable starters, with a 1.87 ERA and 89 strikeouts through 14 starts.

The Blue Jays did hand Schlittler a loss back on May 20, edging the Yankees 2-1 despite a strong outing from the rookie, where he allowed just two earned runs in six innings of work while striking out seven.

New York, meanwhile, continues to navigate life without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, whose absence has removed much of the power from the middle of the Yankees lineup.

With the win on Friday, the Blue Jays are two games under .500 and sit 7.5 games back of the Yankees for second place in the AL East.