A quote from John Schneider that suggests Brandon Valenzuela is in jeopardy

Alejandro Kirk is on his way back.

The Blue Jays catcher, who has been out for two months, will begin playing in the minors today. He'll need about 20 at-bats before he can return to the Blue Jays.

Naturally, upon his return, a decision will have to be made. Who will stay—Brandon Valenzuela or Tyler Heineman?

If we go solely by performance, there's no debate: Valenzuela is better. Heineman's breakout 2025 season is just a distant memory.

Does that mean the rookie will automatically win the spot as Kirk's backup? Not necessarily.

Because, as Mitch Bannon summarized in an article for The Athletic, the situation is complex.

Do the Blue Jays want to give Valenzuela limited playing time (about two games a week)? In the minors, he'd have a clear path to more playing time.

But the real debate is about the organization's depth.

If Heineman were ever cut, he'd have to go through waivers. And even though there's no guarantee he'd be claimed, there's still a risk of losing him.

That risk doesn't exist with Valenzuela, who can simply be sent down to the minors. And since the team isn't exactly overflowing with catchers in case of injury…

It's important to note that the Blue Jays don't like to lose depth.

And on that note, John Schneider recently made comments suggesting that the Blue Jays are seriously considering keeping Heineman.

“It's a bit thin.

In my view, you can't have too many catchers.” – John Schneider (a former catcher) on the depth behind the plate in the organization

Unless Tyler Heineman “gets injured” before Kirk returns, I think Valenzuela has a good chance of being sent down to AAA without the risk of losing him.

If that's the case, the club will do what they did with Yohendrick Pinango during his (brief) stint in the minors last month: prioritize depth over results.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.