Brandon Valenzuela is making John Schneider's catcher call easy, and Toronto should not send him out when Alejandro Kirk returns.
The Blue Jays open the Phillies series at 32-34, which is not the kind of spot where a club can give away offense just to tidy up depth charts.
Valenzuela has earned this fight with his bat. Through 43 games, he is hitting .256 with 7 home runs and an .822 OPS.
Tyler Heineman has not matched that. His line sits at .158 with 1 home run and a .421 OPS, which is not enough for a backup catcher on a team trying to climb.
Kirk is still the starter when healthy, and that part has not changed. MLB.com lists his return as mid June, with the catcher already back in Dunedin on rehab assignment.
The only soft argument against Valenzuela is roster mechanics. He still has options remaining, which gives the Blue Jays an easy paper move if they want one.
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Toronto should keep the better backup
But this is where the Blue Jays need to stop hiding behind asset talk. They need the best 26 players, and MLB.com already framed Kirk and Valenzuela as a tandem that could work for years.
Valenzuela is not hanging on by default, either. On Saturday, he hit his 7th homer and kept adding to one of the better surprise runs on Toronto's roster.
There is more here than the slash line. MLB.com noted that Valenzuela has looked like a big leaguer on both sides and has impressed with his work with the pitching staff.
That matters because Kirk's return does not create a starter debate. It creates a backup debate, and Valenzuela is beating Heineman in the area that keeps costing Toronto games: offensive output.
This also is not a case where Toronto needs to protect a veteran role at all costs. The Blue Jays already have their answer behind the plate when Kirk is healthy. What they need now is the stronger second option.
For a club still under .500, the move should be simple. Keep Kirk, keep Valenzuela, and stop turning a better lineup into a paperwork exercise.
Brandon Valenzuela has already shown Toronto enough. When Alejandro Kirk is activated, the rookie should still be in the major-league clubhouse.
Should Brandon Valenzuela stay on the Blue Jays roster when Alejandro Kirk returns?
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