Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gets hit by pitch in 5th inning, instantly checks himself out of the game

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was batting in the bottom of the fifth when Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller hit him with a 92 mph sinker.

The Toronto Blue Jays star was hit in his right elbow. The right-handed batter has his front left elbow covered with a guard, but the pitch from Keller went past the left elbow and into the unprotected right elbow.

After getting hit, Guerrero immediately yelled an expletive and turned and faced Keller. Rather than taking off his elbow guard and taking the base, the first baseman walked past the trainer and manager John Schneider and right into the dugout.

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He was replaced in the game by Lenyn Sosa. Guerrero was the second Blue Jays player to leave with an injury after starting pitcher Dylan Cease left with trainers after a fifth-inning pitch.

The Blue Jays are 25-27 and third place in the AL East. It wasn’t clear what kind of injury Cease sustained while pitching, but possibly losing him and Guerrero for any amount of time would be bad news for Toronto.

Guerrero has played in all 52 games this season and is hitting .287 with three home runs. While his power numbers have dipped, he still has 22 RBI and 54 hits, the second-most on the team.

Cease has started 10 games for Toronto and has worked a 2.98 ERA. He has struck out 84 batters in 57 1/3 innings of work and has been the Blue Jays’ most productive starter in the early part of the year.

The Blue Jays’ starting pitcher was diagnosed with “mild left hamstring discomfort,” per the team.

Toronto said that Guerrero Jr. is dealing with a “right elbow contusion” but that X-rays were negative for a fracture.