A pretty big decision is looming for the Toronto Blue Jays - one they didn't think they would have to make so early in the season, and one they had hoped they wouldn't need to make at all in 2026. Their main starting catcher, Alejandro Kirk, has taken the first major steps in his recovery from thumb surgery. Sportsnet reporter Arden Zwelling has reported that Kirk has resumed throwing at the Blue Jays' player development complex in Dunedin.
Alejandro Kirk (thumb) has resumed throwing at Blue Jays player development complex in Dunedin
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 30, 2026
First step of many as he works his way back from thumb surgery
Kirk was injured on Apr. 3, taking a foul ball off his thumb and leaving that game against the Chicago White Sox. It led to the surgery which has now kept him out of the last 25 games, and counting. The Blue Jays brought up Brandon Valenzuela in his place. Picked up in a deadline deal last summer, the 25-year-old switch-hitter slashed .304/.370/.478 during Spring Training and there were plenty of people who thought that he was maybe a year away from being legitimately in the conversation of having a semi-regular role in the big leagues.
That timeline moved way up when Kirk was hurt, forcing Valenzuela into the majors and so far he's responded well, impressing mostly with his defense, but doing enough at the plate to warrant giving him more runway as a starter. So far, Valenzuela has slashed .209/.261/.419 with three home runs. At first glance, it's nothing to write home about and it certainly doesn't replace Kirk's missed production, but for a player who only had 57 games at Triple-A prior to his call up, he's working hard to adapt to the toughest pitching he's every faced.
He's also never graded out as being more than anything other than an average hitter. His defense has been his calling card and he's already accumulated an 84th percentile framing rate and a 94th percentile Fielding Run Value. This all seems like a no brainer as reasons why the Blue Jays would want to keep Valenzuela around, even when Kirk returns. The only issue is, the other catcher they currently employ, Tyler Heineman, has also proven his value in the past.
The 35-year-old Heineman had a career year in 2025 with the Blue Jays. In 61 games he was worth 1.6 bWAR, hitting .289/.361/.416 with three home runs and a 114 OPS+. That's about as solid as a season as you can have for a backup catcher. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to replicate those numbers in 2026. Going into Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Minnesota Twins (May 3), Heineman had only managed nine hits, all singles, in 19 games, resulting in a .188/.235/ 188 slash line, with one walk and 14 strikeouts.
The Blue Jays shouldn't expect a repeat performance out of Heineman in 2026, but certainly getting a little bit closer to those numbers would be a big help. It would also lessen the degree of difficulty of what to do when Kirk returns.
Keeping Valenzuela isn't the easy decision for Blue Jays when Kirk comes back
The most obvious answer would be to cut Heineman loose, thank him for his service and wish him good luck in his future endeavours. The problem is, when Kirk returns, Valenzuela's playing time will go down. Maybe not significantly at the beginning as Kirk might likely need to be eased back into the lineup, but certainly down the stretch, if the Blue Jays are in contention it will likely be because Krik is having a productive season, helping fuel Toronto's run toward another AL East division title, or at the very least, a Wild Card spot
The lack of regular reps could hurt Valenzuela's development in the long run. Although, he is 25-years-old and approaching that part of his career where he's going to have to continue to learn on the fly. But sending Valenzuela down to Triple-A to finish out the year, while allowing the veteran Heineman to maintain his role as a backup catcher at the big league level, might be the easiest transition for everyone involved.
There's no doubt Valenzuela is on his way to being a very capable semi-regular starter as a catcher. He might even be an everyday guy. But when Kirk returns, unless Valenzuela is setting the world on fire, he might benefit from one more trip to the minors.