Blue Jays must keep Brandon Valenzuela on roster when Alejandro Kirk returns

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Blue Jays must keep Brandon Valenzuela on roster when Alejandro Kirk returns

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated Jun 6, 2026 7:42 PM ET

Toronto Blue Jays rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela continues to demonstrate why he deserves to remain on the roster when Alejandro Kirk returns from the injured list.

Aside from being a defensive standout behind the plate, he's been a key run producer, and he hit his sixth home run of the season on Friday. In the Blue Jays' 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, he went 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.

Also, in his last seven games, he's been productive, compiling a .273 batting average with three walks, four RBI, two home runs and six hits.

At the end of the day, he's performed better than Tyler Heineman and has proved why he deserves to stay in the big leagues when Kirk comes back.

Since May 1st, Brandon Valenzuela is in the TOP 5 amongst all catchers in MLB in the following categories:

BB%
OBP
HR
xwOBA
xBA
LD%
OPS
wRC+
fWAR
— Damon (@Damon98_) June 6, 2026

Brandon Valenzuela making his case to remain on the Blue Jays roster

While Valenzuela would benefit from development, growth and more playing time in the minors, Blue Jays fans would be heartbroken considering he's shown major improvement offensively.

He's continued to put up clutch at-bats with 11 extra-base hits on the season. He's also tied for second on the team in home runs (6), demonstrating his dominant power potential.

Before the season started, if someone said that Valenzuela would have double the number of home runs of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it would have sounded crazy.

But that's the thing when it comes to rookies: They love to defy the odds, and that's exactly what Valenzuela has done this season.

His consistent offensive abilities have been highlighted through his 112 wRC+, 11.8% walk rate and 39.8% hard-hit rate, which are all above league average. Overall, he's exceeding expectations as a rookie.

With the way he has been performing, the Blue Jays should do whatever it takes to keep him on the roster as his bat and defensive upside would be a significant loss.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

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