Kirk is an above-average hitter and, more importantly, one of the best catchers in all of baseball. His superb game-calling, elite pitch-framing ability, and sure hands behind the plate make him nearly impossible to replace.
Now it’s not just the Blue Jays’ starting pitching depth being challenged by injuries, but also their catching—and the options there are far less appealing, unfortunately.
Tyler Heineman has struggled mightily since being called upon. He made a costly error immediately after coming in for Kirk during the bottom of the 10th inning of Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, spiking what should have been a game-ending throw to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base before Jeff Hoffman allowed a walk-off hit.
On top of the costly error, he made two more mistakes in Saturday’s game. He killed a key rally on the basepaths by getting tagged out at third with Guerrero about to come up to bat, then, with the Blue Jays trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, he gifted the White Sox two insurance runs by air-mailing a throw during a run-down between third base and home plate.
Speaking to me & @thehazelmae after the game, Tyler Heineman took responsibility for his mistakes. In tears at his locker, he said:
“The last two games, those losses, they’re on me. Sugarcoat it any way you want to, (yeah) there’s other things going on, but they’re on me.”
Heineman deserves some grace after excelling in a backup role for the Blue Jays in 2025, but the early returns on his ability to hold down the full-time job aren’t promising.
Valenzuela, 25, is a defence-first catcher on the cusp of his MLB debut, which will happen later today. He should do a solid Kirk impression when it comes to his work behind the plate, but what he can do at the plate is a true question mark. He spent the bulk of his time at Double-A last season, where he hit 12 home runs with 46 RBI, yet slashed just .229/.313/.387.
More encouraging was the .848 OPS he recorded across his 23 spring training at-bats with the Blue Jays this year, most of which came while Kirk was playing for Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic. This also afforded Valenzuela valuable time to work with the Blue Jays’ pitching staff, which should serve everyone well.
An external addition doesn’t seem likely, either.
Veterans Max Stassi and Omar Narvaez headline an uninspiring group of catchers still on the free agent market. It’s hard to see either representing much of an improvement over what the Blue Jays already have, but adding someone with more experience into the mix on a low-cost deal wouldn’t be a terrible idea. A trade, meanwhile, won’t be easy to pull off this early into the season.
So, for better or for worse, Heineman and Valenzuela will probably have to hold down the fort until Kirk returns from the IL. Keeping unforced errors to a minimum will be key; anything beyond that will be a welcome surprise.