One of the Blue Jays hottest prospects during spring on the cusp of MLB debut

It's probably happening sooner than anyone anticipated but the Toronto Blue Jays have called up catching prospect Brandon Valenzuela to the major leagues. It's the corresponding move to putting fellow catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day Injured List with a left thumb fracture.

Kirk was injured during the tenth inning of Friday's (Apr. 3) 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox when a foul tip caught him on his glove hand, and he immediately removed himself from the game. While that could be a cause for the Blue Jays and the fan base to worry, the duo of Tyler Heineman and Valenzuela will look to hold down the fort.

Brandon Valenzuela on the cusp of making his major league debut

While there's no real replacement for Kirk who is one of the top catchers in the game right now, Heineman had a terrific season in 2025, and Valenzuela arrives with a lot of intrigue. Both guys are lauded for their work with the glove. Heineman was worth 10 Defensive Runs Saved last season and a +7 Fielding Run Value in 424.2 innings as Toronto's back up catcher, although he's made a few errors in the last couple of games.

Meanwhile, Valenzuela has impressed with his ability to receive the ball behind the dish and manage his pitching staff. He's also got a great arm and is projected to be above average at controlling the running game. The switch-hitter from Mexico came into the season ranked as the 24th best prospect in the Blue Jays' system after getting picked up from the San Diego Padres for Will Wagner at last years trade deadline and he was projected to grade out as a legitimate big league back up catcher.

However, those projections may be changing with Valenzuela's improved ability in the batters box that he showed throughout Spring Training. He got an extended look with the Blue Jays in their main camp with Kirk playing for Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic. In 25 games, Valenzeula slashed .304/.370/.478 with a .375 BABIP. He also completely smacked the ball when he made contact with a 58.8% hard hit percentage and a 97.4 mph average exit velocity.

With the Triple-A season just getting underway as well, Valenzuela played in four games before earning his call up and in those games he has a home run, while continuing to hit the ball hard in the cold weather in Buffalo. His average exit velocity sits at 91.6 mph and his hard hit percentage is at 50.0%. Those are the kinds of numbers that will earn him extended playing time at the big league level and could force the Blue Jays into making a tough decision when Kirk eventually comes back.