Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the middle of a slump and attempting to find his rhythm.
"Trying to do too much instead of playing normal and playing my game," Guerrero said Monday before Toronto's 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
"I'm still learning from everybody, trying to calm myself down and try to get better for the team."
Guerrero is hitting .300/.386/.387 with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 41 games after going 0-for-4 against the Rays. His two homers are fewer than light-hitting shortstop Andrés Giménez and back-up catcher Brandon Valenzuela. Guerrero is also 6-for-41 over his last 11 contests and hasn't had an extra-base hit since April 28.
The slugger believes he knows the root cause of his power problems, as well as his recent slump at the plate.
"Sometimes I feel a little bit rushed, sometimes I want to do too much," Guerrero said.
"It is (harder), because every time you look at your teammates and … everybody looks at me right here and you want to be that guy. You want to be the guy who goes out there and tries to help the team win. That's why sometimes you put pressure on yourself instead of relaxing and having fun out there."
The five-time All-Star said he plans to overcome his slump by having more fun after a discussion with teammate George Springer.
"He told me, 'Just go out there and be yourself, laughing, joking.' Sometimes you put more pressure and then sometimes you change your body language and you don't (realize it). So to me he always says go out there and have fun," Guerrero said.
The Blue Jays enter Tuesday fourth in the AL East with an 18-23 record, 9.5 games behind the Rays for top spot in the division.
