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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Losing time with Kirk back
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo on April 4, Valenzuela has been a pleasant surprise for the Blue Jays, producing a .792 OPS over 149 plate appearances in addition to providing quality defense behind the dish. He's nonetheless headed for a reduction in playing time, as the return of Alejandro Kirk from the 60-day injured list has bumped Valenzuela down a spot on the depth chart. Valenzuela will sit for the second time in the series Sunday while Kirk gets the starting nod behind the dish.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Hits walk-off single Tuesday
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Phillies.
Valenzuela failed to reach base safely in his first three plate appearances, but the rookie catcher came up clutch with an RBI single in the ninth that brought the game-winning run home. Valenzuela has been effective at the plate this season and has gone 7-for-18 (.389) with seven RBI, five extra-base hits and four runs scored over his last six games. Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is on track to return from the 60-day injured list Friday, but the Blue Jays might keep Valenzuela on the 26-man roster rather than send him down to the minors, though Tyler Heineman does not have any options remaining.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Resting after big weekend
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.
Tyler Heineman will step in behind the plate for the series opener while Valenzuela gets a well-deserved breather following a productive weekend series against the Orioles. Valenzuela caught all three games against Baltimore, going 5-for-9 with two home runs, two doubles, one walk, five RBI and three runs. Though he currently sits atop the depth chart at catcher, Valenzuela could see his playing time get curbed dramatically as soon as the upcoming weekend, when Alejandro Kirk (thumb) may be ready to return from the 60-day injured list.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Smacks another homer
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional RBI during Toronto's 6-4 win over Baltimore on Sunday.
Valenzuela contributed to the Blue Jays' five-run sixth inning with an RBI groundout before giving his team an insurance run in the eighth with a solo homer. The rookie catcher has been scorching at the plate recently, having smacked three homers over his last four outings, and his eight long balls are second-most on the Blue Jays behind Kazuma Okamoto (13). Valenzuela is up to an .822 OPS with 16 RBI and 12 extra-base hits over 135 plate appearances this season. It remains to be seen whether he'll remain on the Blue Jays' 26-man roster once Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is cleared to return from the 60-day injured list.
Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Goes deep against Baltimore
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 13-3 loss to the Orioles.
Valanzuela handed the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead after taking Brandon Young deep to right-center field for a 417-foot, two-run home run. Valanzuela has gone deep in back-to-back games and is up to six homers on the season. He has stepped up as the Blue Jays' primary catcher ahead of Tyler Heineman, but Valenzuela could soon see his workload drop dramatically, as Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is trending toward returning from the 60-day IL early next week, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Taking seat Thursday
Rotowire
Valenzuela isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta.
Valenzuela will step out of the starting nine Thursday after going 1-for-6 with a solo homer and three strikeouts across the first two games of the series. Tyler Heineman will fill in as Toronto's catcher and bat eighth.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Homers in losing effort
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run In the 7-3 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.
Valenzuela smacked a solo shot off of Tyler Kinley in the ninth inning for his fifth long ball of the season. The rookie catcher has gotten plenty of playing time in place of the injured Alejandro Kirk (thumb) since being called up in early April. Kirk is expected to return at some point next week, but Valenzuela's .723 OPS this season may have earned him the backup catching job over Tyler Heineman (.380 OPS).
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Receiving rest Wednesday
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
Valenzuela will be rested for Wednesday's matinee affair after he went 2-for-4 with a run scored while catching all nine innings of the Blue Jays' 8-1 win Tuesday night. Tyler Heineman will replace Valenzuela behind the dish in the series finale.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Sitting down Saturday
Rotowire
Valenzuela isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Pittsburgh.
Valenzuela lost his four-game hitting streak Friday, but he still reached base twice on a pair of walks, scored a run and stole a base in the victory. He'll get a chance to rest his legs Saturday while Tyler Heineman starts at catcher.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Valenzuela isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers.
Valenzuela will get a chance to rest Saturday after going 1-for-2 with a walk during Friday's series opener. Tyler Heineman will pick up a start behind the plate in Valenzuela's stead and bat ninth.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Resting up Wednesday
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
Valenzuela will be getting a routine day off for the series finale after he had started in both of the Blue Jays' previous two contests. Tyler Heineman will handle catching duties for Toronto on Wednesday.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Valenzuela will get a break for the matinee after he started behind the plate in the first two contests of the series. Tyler Heineman will fill in for Valenzuela at catcher and bat ninth.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Huge day in rout
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's 14-1 rout of the Angels.
The rookie catcher helped break open the game with a three-run homer off Mitch Farris in the fifth inning. It was Valenzuela's fourth long ball in 22 games since his promotion, and he's slashing .246/.306/.474 with nine runs and 10 RBI to begin his first stint in the majors.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Resting up Wednesday
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
After catching eight innings of Tuesday night's 4-3 loss, Valenzuela will be rested for the series finale in Tampa. Tyler Heineman will handle catching duties for the Blue Jays.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Idle Sunday
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Tyler Heineman will draw the start Sunday, but Valenzuela may have overtaken him as the Blue Jays' preferred option at catcher while Alejandro Kirk (thumb) remains on the injured list. Valenzuela started three of the previous four games and owns a .680 OPS on the season, clearing Heineman's mark (.423) by more than 250 points.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Knocks third homer
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk Saturday in an 11-4 victory versus Minnesota.
Valenzuela had the biggest hit in an eight-run eighth inning for Toronto, mashing a three-run homer to center field. Saturday marked the rookie backstop's third start behind the plate over the Blue Jays' past four games, and he's gone 4-for-9 with two home runs and four RBI during that span. Valenzuela seems to be building momentum over Tyler Heineman as Toronto's primary catcher while Alejandro Kirk (thumb) remains sidelined.
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Blue Jays' Tyler Heineman: Hitting bench Sunday
Rotowire
Heineman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
After a recent bout with back spasms, Heineman returned to the lineup Thursday and started three straight games, going 1-for-9 with an RBI and a run scored. Though Brandon Valenzuela will get the nod behind the plate Sunday, Heineman could be the Blue Jays' preferred option at catcher until Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is ready to return from the injured list.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Streak of starts ends
Rotowire
Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers.
With Tyler Heineman getting cleared to start behind the dish after a recent bout with back spasms, Valenzuela will head to the bench after he had handled catching duties in each of the prior five games. Since Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is likely to remain on the shelf for at least another month, Valenzuela should stick on the big-league roster a little while longer, but he may not be in store for much better than an even split of playing time behind the plate with a healthy Heineman.
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Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Cracks first major-league homer
Rotowire
Valenzuela went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored during the Blue Jays' 10-4 win over the Twins on Friday.
The Blue Jays rallied from a 4-0 run deficit to take the lead in the fourth inning, highlighted by Valenzuela's first big-league homer. The 25-year-old made his major-league debut this past Sunday against the White Sox and has shared time behind the plate with Tyler Heineman. That trend should continue for as long as Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is on the injured list, but Valenzuela could earn more starts for himself with strong play over the coming weeks.
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