Blue Jays Preparing to Face Some Difficult Roster Decisions
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'"Man, what a hell of a year it's been, keep on bluffin' but I just can't win" are the opening lyrics to Shaboozey's chart-topping country hit "Good News."
Toronto Blue Jays fans can probably relate.
The song's chorus ends with, "All I really need is a little good news."
Toronto fans are about to get a lot of good news.
Dylan Cease threw 75 pitches over four innings Thursday night for Buffalo and came out of the outing feeling good enough that Blue Jays manager John Schneider did not think he would need another rehab start. His stat line was not pretty, but how he felt on Friday was far more important. Cease was back with the team in Toronto.
Alejandro Kirk homered as the designated hitter in his first rehab game for Dunedin Wednesday night. Due to the play of Brandon Valenzuela, Schneider is leaving the door open to carrying three catchers. Addison Barger, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber are also all on the road to recovery.
But all the good news will also bring some difficult roster decisions.
Let's start with the catcher decision, which he related during an interview with SportsNet 590.
"There could be a world where we carry three [catchers]."
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) June 5, 2026
Blue Jays manager John Schneider joins @SNJeffBlair and Kevin Barker to discuss the plan behind the plate when Alejandro Kirk returns.
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Schneider shared that Toronto will bring Kirk along slowly when he returns, likely catching only four of every seven games. Kirk has not caught a pitch in the Majors since fracturing and dislocating his thumb on April 3rd. That could open the door to keeping three catchers. If Toronto only keeps two catchers, however, Valenzuela should stay, and Heineman should hit the road.
Let's begin on offense by comparing Valenzuela's stats on the left with Heineman's on the right. If this were a boxing match, the referee would have stopped the fight long ago.
Both are strong defensively, with a slight edge to Heineman.
Heineman excels defensively, which you'd better do to stay in the Majors with a .420 OPS. Despite starting only leads all catchers in runners caught stealing (11) and caught-stealing percentage (35.5%), aided by a game against Miami in which he was credited with four runners caught stealing.
Defensive Metric | Valenzuela (percentile) | Heineman (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
Blocks Above Avg. | 25 | 81 |
Caught Stealing Above Avg. | 88 | 85 |
Framing | 96 | 91 |
Pop Time | 81 | 63 |
Errors | 6 (most in Majors) | 3 |
Heineman, however, does not have any options remaining, meaning the Blue Jays cannot send him to the minors without him clearing waivers. Even with his tofu bat, a team needing a backup catcher who excels at defense would likely claim him. Valenzuela has three options remaining, meaning the Blue Jays will not risk losing him by sending him to Buffalo.
Having three catchers on the roster, though, greatly limits Schneider's flexibility elsewhere.
The Blue Jays will likely need to DFA Heineman. They do not have time to waste at this point. The slack is gone from the rough start. Valenzuela has played too well to return to the minors, and doing so would also send a demoralizing message to other young players.
The pitching decision will be more complicated. Cease would likely slot back into the rotation during Toronto's home series against Philadelphia early next week. If it does not happen before Cease returns, Yariel Rodriguez could be released, given his 7.71 ERA and 2.04 WHIP.
Simeon Woods Richardson might also be a candidate for the Abe Simpson award, based on the popular meme of Grandpa Simpson walking through the door, then immediately turning around, and walking back out the same door.
The Blue Jays claimed the former prospect who was part of the Jose Berrios deal this week, who has the second-longest last name (Woods Richardson) in Major League history, but could have a short second stay with Toronto.
Connor Seabold also has not exactly been a glimmering light of hope during his time in Toronto.
It may well depend on who has a fresh arm when Cease returns.
The Blue Jays are getting healthier. Decisions are coming.
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Adam Steinmetz writes about the Toronto Blue Jays for SI.com. Adam is also the editor and publisher of the Boston Sunday Sports Section, a weekly digital publication covering the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins. A two-time winner of the Best Collegiate Sports Writer award in Philadelphia, he began his career with freelance work for The Philadelphia Daily News and The Palm Beach Post before building a successful career outside of journalism. He returned to sports writing last year, contributing to Pitcher List—including coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays—before launching Authorenticity on Substack, where he explores the human stories within baseball. The Boston Sunday Sports Section is his most ambitious project — the thinking fan’s modern Sunday Sports Section focused on the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins.