TORONTO – The way Tyler Heineman staggered back after John Rave fouled a Max Scherzer fastball off his mask Saturday afternoon was eerily similar to a blow that landed the Toronto Blue Jays catcher on the concussion injured list back earlier this year.
That one, in the eighth inning of a 7-6 win over the San Diego Padres on May 22, came off the bat of Jason Heyward, who nudged a 97.4 m.p.h. Yimi Garcia heater powerful enough to dent the mask’s protective bars.
Heineman managed to stay in that game until the 10th inning, when Alejandro Kirk hit for him, but ended up on the injured list May 25, remaining there until his June 3 activation.
This time, it was Rave’s tip off a 93.6 m.p.h. Scherzer fastball that dented a new Heineman mask, which is made with springs by both temples and below the chin to help absorb and redistribute impact. Heineman stayed in the game, was hit by a pitch in the bottom half of the inning, came around on Davis Schneider’s two-run single and then was replaced by Ali Sanchez in the fourth inning of a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
The initial protocol testing came back far more positive, with manager John Schneider saying that Heineman “doesn’t have any concussion symptoms” and for now is dealing with more of a head contusion. “When I went out there, it was more a headache and his jaw got it a little bit. We’ll check him out (Sunday), hopefully dodged a bullet.”
Still, the Blue Jays adapted plans immediately after, pulling Kirk from a second rehab game at triple-A Buffalo on Saturday night to avoid risking his return Sunday. The plan is for him to start the series finale against the Royals.
That will necessitate a roster move, and Heineman’s status complicates the decision since Sanchez, the odd man out if everyone is healthy, is out of options. That means he can’t be returned to the minor-leagues without passing through waivers first.
If he’s claimed, the Blue Jays would be in a vulnerable spot behind the plate, especially if Heineman has a setback in a day or two, making the call Sunday especially complicated.
“You’ve got to trust the doctors, trust what people are saying and make the best decision,” said Schneider. “Ali’s earned our trust. He had in spring training. It’s a fine line you’ve got to walk because you don’t want to lose depth, either way. Heinie’s done an amazing job this entire year. He’s a big part of why we are where we are and when you’re dealing with two guys out of the three, one coming off a concussion, one hopefully avoiding one, you want to be pretty careful with it. So just basically see how Tyler is overnight and into (Sunday) and go from there.”
Kirk’s concussion came when Wenceel Perez fouled a 93.8 m.p.h. Kevin Gausman fastball off his mask July 26 at Detroit, and the incidents in rapid succession underlined the importance of organizational depth, particularly now that the trade deadline has passed.
To that end, the acquisition of triple-A-bound catcher Brandon Valenzuela from the San Diego Padres for Will Wagner – a move partly about roster housekeeping – added another important layer.
With all that in mind, let’s take a wider look at the Blue Jays’ roster depth with the trade deadline in the rear-view mirror.
ROTATION: Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer
Injured: Shane Bieber, Alek Manoah, Bowden Francis
Depth: Easton Lucas, Lazardo Estrada, Adam Macko
Outlook: Scherzer’s status had been the biggest question surrounding the Blue Jays’ rotation, but now through seven starts since returning from the injured list, he and the club seem to be finding a sweet spot for working around his troublesome thumb issues. “This is never going to go away. It’s just something I’ve got to manage and right now I’m managing it pretty well,” he said after throwing six innings against the Royals. “Unfortunately it got a little tired there in the sixth, because I had the pitch count to at least go back out there for the seventh, but I wasn’t in position to. So it’s just something I’ve got to stay on top of, keep doing all the exercises for it and manage it as best I can.”
More of a focus now is how Bieber, the prized deadline add slated to make a rehab start at Buffalo on Sunday, slides into the group and whether the club will run a six-man rotation of some sort once he’s ready. Manoah, also building back up from reconstructive elbow surgery, will make his next rehab outing at either double-A New Hampshire or Buffalo, and barring setbacks could soon be an option, too, giving the Blue Jays more potential starting depth than they’ve had at any point this season.
BULLPEN: Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Dominguez, Yariel Rodriguez, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher, Tommy Nance, Mason Fluharty
Injured: Yimi Garcia, Nick Sandlin
Depth: Paxton Schultz, Justin Bruihl, Robinson Pina, Ryan Jennings
Outlook: Garcia is yet to resume throwing after receiving a cortisone shot in his elbow aimed at alleviating the discomfort from a nerve issue and his status can change the picture dramatically here. If he can get healthy, he gives the Blue Jays another high-octane, high-leverage arm to deepen the back-end of their bullpen. If he can’t, they don’t have many places they can turn to for a boost, rather than a stop-gap.
Intriguingly, Schneider said Macko, currently starting at triple-A, and Trey Yesavage, the 2024 first-rounder stomping through the minors, could become options at some point. “Those guys are showing well,” he said. “The right- and left-handed duo that comes to my mind are Trey and Macko.” Schneider said he’s “definitely watched more of” Yesavage’s outing as the season has gone on and “I watched his last one (when the right-hander struck out nine in four innings). It’s pretty good. It’s pretty good stuff.”
CATCHERS: Tyler Heineman, Ali Sanchez
Injured: Alejandro Kirk (returning Sunday)
Depth: Phil Clarke, Christian Bethancourt, Brandon Valenzuela
Outlook: There was a clear need for an upper-level catcher and Valenzuela’s acquisition was a byproduct of the Blue Jays “repurposing our roster a little bit, adding depth to an area that we felt was important to have,” GM Ross Atkins said after the deadline. “Switch-hitting catcher that we feel can help us on both sides of the ball.”
He’ll help the Bisons but he’s not a big-league option, which is why Sanchez’s fate matters so much. If he doesn’t remain in the system, Bethancourt, who has 427 games in the majors, and Clarke, a pending minor-league free agent if he isn’t added to the 40 man, are the next options. Edward Duran, recently promoted to high-A Vancouver, is the best catching prospect in the system but has a long way to go.
INFIELD: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Ty France, Leo Jimenez
Injured: Andres Gimenez
Depth: Michael Stefanic, Orelvis Martinez
Outlook: Gimenez has started to run the bases and a rehab outing is on the horizon, perhaps next week, and his return will largely take second base out of the mix for Clement and Schneider. But the Blue Jays are exposed if his return hits a setback and someone else gets hurt, with minimal backfill options.
Stefanic was up earlier this season and is a capable stopgap but Martinez, a consensus top-100 prospect two springs ago, is grinding through a miserable season at the plate while continuing to struggle defensively. Compounding matters, he’ll be out of options next year, meaning the Blue Jays are almost out of runway for him.
OUTFIELD: Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Joey Loperfido
Injured: George Springer, Anthony Santander
Depth: Jonatan Clase, Yohendrick Pinango, R.J. Schreck
Outlook: Just as Varsho returned from a hamstring injury, Springer hit the concussion IL, although the Blue Jays are hoping he’ll be ready Tuesday, the first day he’s eligible for activation, while Santander’s path back remains a mystery as he’s yet to resume swinging. Once Springer is back, he’ll displace someone from the big-league roster, which will deepen an outfield group thinned out when Alan Roden was sent to the Twins as part of the Varland/France trade.
As things stand, Clase is the clear option now if the team needs to dip down to Buffalo, with Pinango and Schreck, acquired during last year’s deadline sell-off, still acclimating to triple-A. Barger and Schneider add flexibility by bouncing between the dirt and the grass.
