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Inside The Blue Jays

Brandon Valenzuela Is Making the Blue Jays' Kirk Decision Very Complicated

It is hard to fathom that Valenzuela is a rookie with the way that he is performing for the Blue Jays.
Maddy Dickens|
Jun 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre.
Jun 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

It is somewhat hard to fathom what the Toronto Blue Jays rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela is doing for this ballclub right now, and as cliché as it sounds, this was a "blessing in disguise" type of situation because had Alejandro Kirk not been injured, who knows when fans would have seen him play.

Kirk has been missing from the roster for over two months now after fracturing his thumb, which required surgery. But his return is ever-so close, meaning, likely, either Valenzuela or Tyler Heineman will no longer be a part of the roster.

However, if Valenzuela is optioned, riots might break out in Toronto simply because he has been the best bat in this offense over the last 30 games and a defensive menace, whereas Heineman is a phenomenal defender but an easy out more often than not.

Valenzuela's Development This Season

Brandon Valenzuela gets soaked with water in a white Blue Jays unifor
Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) smiles as he is doused with ice water after hitting a game winning walk off single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the the ninth inning at Rogers Centre | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Valenzuela is proving that Toronto won the '25 trade deadline as he was acquired at the last minute from the San Diego Padres, and boy, are they kicking themselves right now.

The 25-year-old received his nod to the majors right after Kirk was placed on the lengthy Blue Jays' injured list in the first week of April, and it was a sluggish start as he finished the month with a .200 batting average, but after a four-hit game on May 9, he took off and never looked back.

It is hard to comprehend the last 30 games for Valenzuela, and he is seemingly getting better as he has three homers in his last six games to complement a walk-off RBI single Tuesday night against the Phillies.

*Note* These stats are looking at Valenzuela's last 30 outings.

  • .277 Batting Average
  • .378 On-Base Percentage
  • .518 Slugging Percentage
  • .896 OPS
  • 14 RBI
  • 14 Drawn Walks
  • 5 Home Runs
  • 19% Strikeout Rate

If that isn't enough, he is seemingly getting better and better. In his last seven games, Valenzuela is hitting .333 to complement a monstrous slug of .857. Valenzuela had three doubles and two shots to the moon in May.

He already has a pair of doubles and three homers in June; Valenzuela has only played in seven games.

At this point, the way George Springer is playing as the primary designated hitter, Valenzuela could easily step into the DH role when Kirk is catching to make sure his bat stays in the lineup. There are plenty of options for this versatile switch-hitter, but returning to Buffalo is not one of them.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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