Blue Jays Activate Alejandro Kirk, Designate Tyler Heineman

To highlight a series of roster moves on Friday, the Blue Jays activated catcher Alejandro Kirk from the 60-day injured list and placed outfielder Dalton Varsho on the 10-day IL with left wrist inflammation, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. The team also designated catcher Tyler Heineman for assignment and recalled outfielder Davis Schneider from Triple-A Buffalo. Right-handed reliever Yariel Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment on June 8, has cleared waivers and will head back to Buffalo.

The Blue Jays have gone almost the whole season without Kirk, who underwent surgery on a broken left thumb in early April. The two-time All-Star has played just five games this year, but the silver lining is that the Blue Jays saw Brandon Valenzuela emerge as a capable big leaguer in his absence.

Acquired from the Padres for infielder Will Wagner at last year’s trade deadline, Valenzuela has slashed .252/.333/.457 (121 wRC+) with seven home runs and 1.5 fWAR over 46 games and 145 plate appearances since he debuted April 4. The 25-year-old rookie has also drawn mostly excellent marks as a defender. While Valenzuela has thrown out a below-average 20.5 percent of base stealers, he has made up for it in other ways. He ranks in the 100th percentile in framing, according to Statcast, and has been credited with 5 DRS and 7 FRV.

Kirk’s return gives Toronto an enviable duo behind the plate, which will cost Heineman his roster spot. The 34-year-old journeyman is in his third stint with the Blue Jays, who claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox in September 2024. Heineman typically has not offered strong production as a hitter, but that was not the case during the Jays’ pennant-winning season last year. He batted a career-best .289/.361/.416 (120 wRC+) with three homers over 64 games and 174 trips to the plate.

Heineman was worth a personal-high 2.1 fWAR in 2025, but his offense has cratered in a 33-game, 87-plate appearance showing this year. Thanks in part to a career-low 2.3 percent walk rate (down from 6.9 in 2025), he is hitting .154/.205/.205 (15 wRC+) with one homer. To his credit, though, Heineman has received outstanding grades as a catcher. He is a 95th percentile framer who has thrown out a tremendous 36.3 percent of base stealers and accounted for 6 DRS and 7 FRV. That isn’t anything new for Heineman, who has caught over 31 percent of base thieves since he debuted with the Marlins in 2019.

Heineman, who has been outrighted in the past and has over three years of service time, will be able to reject an outright assignment if there isn’t a taker via trade or on waivers. That process could take up to a week. However, Heineman does not have enough service time (five-plus years) to keep his $1.24MM salary if he turns down an outright.

Varsho’s wrist injury has kept him out of the starting lineup since June 5, though he did come off the bench in three games between then and his IL placement. It is unclear how much time Varsho will miss, but his absence is a shot to Toronto’s lineup and a tough blow for a player enjoying a solid contract year. Varsho, who has drawn walks at a career-best 19.1 percent clip, has hit .256/.331/.408 (106 wRC+) with five long balls in 64 games and 236 PA. Known throughout his career for his plus defense, Varsho has been credited with one DRS, OAA and FRV apiece in center field this year. However, having dealt with rotator cuff problems that required surgery in 2024, his arm strength is only in the 18th percentile.

More to come…