Blue Jays Share Change With Alejandro Kirk's Rehab About Tyler Heineman Injury Scare
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The Toronto Blue Jays are facing some difficulties at the catcher position because of injuries mounting.
Already without All-Star Alejandro Kirk, who was placed on the seven-day concussion list after taking a foul tip off his mask, the team was afraid they had lost backup Tyler Heineman to a similar ailment.
Early in their 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon, Heineman was removed from the contest out of an abundance of caution.
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As shared by Mitch Bannon of The Athletic on X, the team has shared a positive update on their catcher.
Heineman isn’t currently showing any concussion symptoms, but they are going to wait and see how things look tomorrow.
On Saturday, he was replaced in the lineup by Ali Sanchez, who went 1-for-2 in his place.
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If he is forced to miss any time, the Blue Jays can at least rest a little easier knowing that Kirk is on his way back to the team.
The game plan was for their All-Star to return to the lineup Sunday, but after playing with Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.
After Heineman was injured, that plan was adjusted slightly.
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Instead of being the designated hitter in Triple-A, Kirk was removed from the lineup to avoid any risks of not being available on Sunday, with the status of his backup being up in the air.
Tyler Heineman doesn’t have any concussion symptoms, Schneider said, but #BlueJays will see how he is tomorrow
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) August 2, 2025
Alejandro Kirk isn’t DHing anymore in AAA tonight, to avoid any risk. He’s coming to Toronto
Having both of their catchers available is a big part of the puzzle for Toronto to find success on the field.
They are having incredible individual seasons, combining to be arguably the most productive catching duo in baseball.
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Kirk has a .304/.361/.413 slash line with an OPS+ of 115 through 88 games and 346 plate appearances, compiling a bWAR of 1.9.
Heineman has an impressive .333/.395/.505 slash line with an eye-popping OPS+ of 148. He has a bWAR of 1.7 with 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBI.
More will be figured out about his status moving forward on Sunday, when the team will announce a corresponding move to active Kirk.
For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.
