Blue Jays Purchase Contract of Buddy Kennedy After DFA'ing Veteran Catcher
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The Toronto Blue Jays purchased the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy on Tuesday afternoon as the corresponding move to designating veteran catcher Ali Sanchez for assignment.
Kennedy will be taking his spot on the 40-man roster for the time being now that their catcher situation is more settled.
A little over a week ago, Sanchez was added to the roster to take the place of All-Star Alejandro Kirk, who landed on the seven-day concussion injured list after being struck by a foul tip.
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He was activated to the roster on Sunday, but the Blue Jays opted to hold onto Sanchez as insurance because Tyler Heineman had to be removed from Saturday’s game early because he was struck by a foul ball.
INF Buddy Kennedy is active with the #BlueJays today (signed as a milb FA earlier this summer).
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) August 5, 2025
With Kirk and Heineman back healthy, C Ali Sanchez has been DFA’d.
With Toronto wanting to keep the extra catching depth just in case, infielder Leo Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A when Kirk was activated over the weekend.
With Hieneman looking to have avoided any serious ailments and the team being comfortable with his health, Sanchez was designed for assignment so that the team was no longer carrying three catchers.
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The Blue Jays would certainly love to have Sanchez back, but he is subject to waivers and could be claimed by another franchise. If he doesn’t return, they did acquire some catching depth in the form of Brandon Valenzuela in a trade with the San Diego Padres in exchange for infielder Will Wagner.
Since Toronto could not simply recall Jimenez because of the 10-day minimum stint after a player is optioned willingly, they have decided to add Kennedy to their roster as some infield depth.
Kennedy signed with the Blue Jays after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies a few weeks ago.
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He has played 16 games for the Buffalo Bison, recording an underwhelming .207/.309/.259 slash line.
Blue Jays Designate Ali Sánchez For Assignment, Select Buddy Kennedy https://t.co/69c8nMwNez pic.twitter.com/9FDPWDPn4x
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 5, 2025
That is below his career numbers in Triple-A, where he has been productive with a .268/.372/.408 slash line with a wRC+ of 111.
His success at the Major League level unfortunately hasn’t been close to that with a .193/.287/.296 slash line across 157 plate appearances.
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Out of options, he may not be with the Big League club for very long because Andrew Gimenez and George Springer are both set to begin rehab assignments this week and roster spots are going to have to be opened to bring them back.
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