Recent stretch shows just how valuable this player is to the Blue Jays

Last year you could excuse some of those who had question marks surrounding the long-term contract extension given to Alejandro Kirk. During Spring Training 2025, the Blue Jays gave the then 26-year-old catcher a five-year, $58 million contract extension. It wasn't universally loved as there were questions around his viability to be the every day guy behind the plate, and he also had had his offensive production dip over the last two seasons from a career high 12.5 fWAR in 2022 to -9.1 and -6.4 in 2023 and 2024.

However, his defence remained outstanding and it wasn't like he was a complete soft spot in the lineup. In fact some of the experts pegged Kirk to be a top ten catcher in MLB, and he completely surpassed those expectations in 2025, producing a 4.7 fWAR with a 24.8 defensive fWAR and 3.4 offensive fWAR. He was expected to be one of the main pillars of production for Toronto in 2026, but an injury just a few games into the season has put him on the shelf for six weeks.

Without Kirk, the Blue Jays have turned to their backups, Tyler Heineman, who was a pleasant surprise in 2025 and rookie Brandon Valenzuela, who tore the cover off the ball in Spring Training and was lauded for his defense as he came up through the San Diego Padres system. But what the Blue Jays have learned in the time that Kirk has been away, is that it is very hard to replace someone who is one of the best players at their position in the entire game.

Blue Jays learning the harsh lesson that is losing a top player like Kirk

The Blue Jays have lost a couple of games off of plays made (or not made) by their current catching tandem. First, it was the two games in Chicago directly following Kirk's injury. When Heineman came for Kirk in the bottom of the tenth on Apr. 3, the White Sox immediately took advantage when Derek Hill laid down a bunt which Heineman picked up and promptly threw into right field, allowing the tying run to score. One batter later, the winning run came around as well.

Two days later, Heineman was thrown out on the base paths trying to go from second to third on a sacrifice fly, ending a potential rally. Then in the bottom of the eighth, with the Blue Jays down by a run, Heineman made a throwing error that allowed a pair of runs to score, giving the White Sox a 6-3 lead going into the top of the ninth, a lead they would hold onto, sweeping the Blue Jays.

In this past Wednesday's loss to Milwaukee (Apr. 15) the Blue Jays were up by a run in the bottom of the eighth when Sal Frelick hit a high chopper that bounced just a few feet away from the plate. Valenzuela hesitated on the play, then as he reached for the ball it rolled out of his hand, allowing Frelick to reach base and eventually score the game winning run in a 2-1 loss for Toronto.

The losses can't be solely blamed on Heineman and Valenzuela, as Toronto's lineup largely failed to do their jobs in these contests, but the catchers have also come up short at the plate in their opportunities.

Valenzuela has a 41.7% strikeout rate with going 4-for-24 in his first nine games at the big league level. Since Kirk's injury, Heineman has gone 3-for-12 in six games, and while his overall numbers look good with a .333/.400/.333 slash line, he has no home runs, no RBIs and, like many of the other Blue Jays hitters currently, he hasn't been able to come through in the clutch going 1-for-4 with two strike outs with runners in scoring position.

These are no doubt small sample sizes, but it's what we've got to work with at this time of the year and the results have shown that the Blue Jays have likely missed Kirk's bat and glove in the lineup. With Kirk recovering from a fractured left thumb, the Blue Jays will need Heineman and Valenzuela, and the rest of the lineup for that matter, to find another gear during his absence.

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