This Blue Jay is on track to have a career year

The Toronto Blue Jays just can't get enough of Tyler Heineman.

And while the career backup was one of two catchers on the team's 40-man roster throughout the offseason, who would have thought that he would be one of the team's key contributors during the first couple weeks of the season?

Tyler Heineman has been a huge boost for the Blue Jays

Heinman has gotten off to a great start this season, as he has recorded more hits (9) than Danny Jansen, and has more home runs (1) than Kyle Higashioka. He also has an impressive .722 slugging percentage, which is the fifth-highest mark among MLB's catchers.

That lone home run came in a Blue Jays win over the Orioles in Heineman's season debut. It was the second home run of his career and his first since Sept. 25, 2019.

Heineman has also made the most of his at-bats, as he's recorded multi-hit games in three of his five starts this year. While none of those multi-hit games featured an extra-base hit, any team in MLB would take that kind of production from its backup catcher.

After entering the year with a career OPS+ of 63 in 111 games, Heineman has an OPS+ of 242 in six games this year. While that's an incredibly small sample size, it's a good example of just how good he's been this year for the Blue Jays.

With that production in mind, it seems like it'll only be a matter of time until he gets a little bit more playing time. It's clear that Alejandro Kirk is the Blue Jays' full-time catcher, but if Heineman continues to swing a hot bat, then then he could get more starts behind the plate while Kirk could get more starts at designated hitter.

Heineman's also showcased his defensive skillset this season, as he's thrown out three baserunners this year despite only playing in six games.

He's in the 89th percentile in caught stealing above average, and has a pop time of 1.93 seconds. While that's an average pop time, he's able to make up for that with a strong throwing arm; he's already reached 78 miles per hour on a throw this year.

He's also benefited from the addition of Andrés Giménez, who is great at catching and throwing and putting down a tag in one motion.

Overall, Heineman has a lot to offer despite being a career journeyman. He had previously spent time in MLB with the Miami Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the San Francisco Giants.

If Heineman keeps playing like this, we should see him even more this season.

The Blue Jays didn't get much production from their catchers last year, so his production (combined with a strong start to the season for Kirk) are two of the biggest reasons why the Blue Jays are playing so well this year.