Tyler

Heineman

He had missed the last five games with the injury. Brandon Valenzuela will take a seat on Thursday for some well-deserved rest after covering several games in a row. Heineman is only a fantasy factor in the deepest of leagues, but it’s good to see that he was apparently able to avoid the injured list.

Brandon Valenzuela will make his fifth consecutive start behind the plate in this one. Heineman has been on the shelf for nearly a week at this point due to back spasms. He would presumably be available off the bench in an emergency situation but Toronto is clearly trying to stay away from him until the issue subsides.

It’ll be rookie backstop Brandon Valenzuela making his fourth straight start behind the dish while Heineman remains sidelined with back spasms. It’s possible he’ll require a trip to the injured list at some point this week to enable Toronto to bring up some emergency catching depth.

That explains why Heineman didn’t play at all over the weekend while rookie Brandon Valenzuela draws his third consecutive start. Heineman is considered day-to-day and should return to action early next week.

It’s not a worst-case scenario after Kirk underwent a procedure to address a fracture in his left thumb that involved inserting a screw, according to Blue Jays manager John Schneider. The 27-year-old backstop will be on the shelf until at least mid-May. There should be an exact timetable once he’s cleared to resume baseball activities and head out on a rehab assignment. It’ll be Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela handling the catching duties in his absence.

With Alejandro Kirk on the injured list with a thumb injury, Heineman will get most of the starts behind the plate. Tuesday is an exception, however, as Brandon Valenzuela will catch Kevin Gausman and hit ninth.

Schneider added that Kirk will undergo a procedure to address a fracture in his left thumb, but isn’t dealing with any ligament damage. There should be a definitive return timeline following the surgery later this week. However, fantasy managers should anticipate a multi-week absence. It’s an encouraging update after the 27-year-old backstop hit the injured list over the weekend after taking a foul tip off his hand during last Friday’s extra-inning game against the White Sox. It’ll be Tyler Heineman handling the catching duties in his absence unless Toronto brings in some additional veteran depth.

Kirk underwent imaging that revealed a dislocation in his thumb, along with a fracture. He’ll meet with a specialist early next week to determine whether surgery is needed. There should be a definitive return timetable following that evaluation. He suffered the injury when he took a foul tip off his hand in the 10th inning of Friday’s extra-inning marathon against the White Sox. It’s a significant loss for the defending American League champions, and fantasy managers as well, since he’s facing a multi-week absence, even if he manages to avoid surgery. The 27-year-old backstop was off to a slow start at the plate, hitting (3-for-20) through five games this season. It’ll be Tyler Heineman handling the catching duties in his absence.

A foul tip deflected off the bottom of Kirk’s mitt and left him in a lot of pain, so much so that he walked off without any attempt to stay in. If there’s a break, he’ll probably miss at least a month. Brandon Valenzuela would likely be called up to share time with Tyler Heineman.

Kirk will sit for the second time in three games. The 27-year-old will take a breather with Tyler Heineman behind the plate for Max Scherzer and hit ninth.