The Blue Jays have suddenly gained more flexibility with Alejandro Kirk's workload

When the Toronto Blue Jays get Alejandro Kirk back from the injured list it will be a welcomed addition to the team. The lineup has surely missed the offense Kirk could have been producing had he not been on the shelf with a fractured thumb since the beginning of April. The 27-year-old was one of the most productive catchers both behind the dish and while standing at it in 2025.

If it wasn't for an insane 60 homer season from Seattle's Cal Raleigh, you could have made the argument for Kirk as the best all around catcher in the American League. He was worth 4.7 fWAR (second behind Raleigh's 9.1) while his .282 batting average led all qualified catchers and his on-base percentage of .355 was just behind Raleigh's at .359.

He was also no slouch on defense either with a 24.8 defensive fWAR in 2025, the highest mark of his five-year career to that point (excluding his 2020 rookie season). Safe to say the Blue Jays, who are 29-31 (on Jun. 1) could have used a player of his caliber on the field every day. The one knock against Kirk is how he handles the workload year in and year out.

He seemed to hit a wall in the later stages of the year in 2025, but then work up again right at the finish line and carried that into the playoffs. With the Blue Jays hoping to get back into the postseason in 2026, they could use another run like that from Kirk again. One reason he may just be able to do that is thanks to the rise of rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela.

Vlanezuela's production allows Blue Jays to use Kirk better

Valenzuela's introduction to the MLB level has been nothing short of remarkable. For a 25-year-old who was known as a glove first player coming up through the minor leagues, he has held his own at the dish. He's slashing .232/.328/.382 with four home runs and a 103 wRC+ through his first 38 games. While his defense has still been his main attribute (5.4 defensive fWAR) his bat has come around better than anyone could have expected.

In 21 games in May, Valenzuela slashed .258/.378/.403 matching his 12 strikeouts with 12 walks while adding seven RBIs, eight runs scored and a stolen base. His 127 wRC+ last month was second on the Blue Jays among hitters with at least 70 plate appearances, while he led the team with a 16% walk rate and his 16% strikeout rate was the third lowest.

At this rate, the Blue Jays can ease Kirk back into the lineup without forcing him him to have to automatically be the every day guy right away. Of course, this is assuming that Vlenzuela stays on the big league roster while Tyler Heineman would have to be DFA'd as he's out of options. If the Blue Jays do go that route they could still more effectively manage Kirk's workload before the stretch run while not losing out on a significant drop off in production.

Valenzuela still isn't at a "Kirk-ian" level yet - but he's shown a lot of promise and that is good news for the Blue Jays who would be foolish to not try and see what they could get out of this all Mexican backstop tandem.

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