The Toronto Blue Jays lost on Sunday to the New York Yankees 8-3. They also lost the three-game set in New York after wining seven straight series.
On Tuesday, the Blue Jays look to regain their momentum as they push for an American League Wild Card spot when they face the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre.
Before the Royals series opener, the Blue Jays made a quiet move with one of their most promising pitching prospects, promoting 22-year-old Daniel Guerra to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons just two weeks after promoting the 6-foot-6, 230-pound righty from Single-A to Double-A.
The decisions raises intriguing questions about whether the Blue Jays see Guerra as a potential bullpen arm who could help in the playoff push this season, once rosters expand on September 1.
Guerra’s brief Double-A stop produced a 2.25 ERA and nine strikeouts across just four relief innings, according to Statcast data. New Hampshire used him exclusively out of the bullpen, a departure from a career built almost entirely on a starting role, and his command sharpened in the process, with just one walk in 16 batters faced.
View this post on Instagram A Suddenly Fast Track Through Toronto’s SystemBorn Daniel David Guerra on March 13, 2004, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, the right-hander signed with Toronto as an international free agent in June 2022 for bonus of only $40,000. The Blue Jays waited until five months into the 2022 international window to sign him.
Guerra posted a 3.40 ERA with 84 strikeouts over 82 innings at Single-A Dunedin last year, then opened 2026 at High-A Vancouver and turned in a 3.20 ERA across 14 starts, striking out better than 31 percent of the hitters he faced, before a June elbow-related injured list stint interrupted his season.
Guerra’s career minor league line now reads 11-20 with a 3.86 ERA across 275 innings, with 303 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP, spanning five levels since he signed. He worked back through rehab assignments in the Florida Complex League and at Dunedin before rejoining Vancouver in late July, a performance that earned him the promotion to New Hampshire on August 11 and, only two weeks later, a Triple-A promotion to the Bisons.
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Starter Or Reliever? Blue Jays Still DecidingGuerra’s fastball sits 94-97 mph and touches 99, from a high release point that makes it difficult for hitters to pick up. His slider works in the upper 80s and stands as most effective best swing-and-miss pitch, while a splitter in the mid-80s gives him a different look against left-handed hitters, though he has used the splitter only occasionally so far in his career.
Toronto shifted Guerra to relief work at Double-A largely to manage his innings and see how his stuff plays in shorter stints, not to abandon starting altogether. Toronto Star prospect expert D.M. Fox reported that Blue Jays minor league pitching director Justin Lehr said the organization still views Guerra as a starter long term, comparing the look to the bullpen stint Trey Yesavage got with Buffalo in 2025 before his rise to the majors.
Guerra is not on the Jays’ 40-man roster, so Toronto would need to add him before any September call-up. He becomes Rule 5 eligible after this season, which gives the front office extra incentive to protect him, especially with the Blue Jays clinging to Wild Card hopes. A strong showing at Triple-A could push that decision into September, but for now, Guerra’s next audition comes with the Bisons as Toronto tries to shake off its Bronx setback against the Royals.
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