April 10, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays catcher
Alejandro Kirk is being rested for Thursday's series finale at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox in the series finale.
Tyler Heineman will catch right-hander
Chris Bassitt and will bat eighth against Red Sox right-hander
Walker Buehler. It shouldn't be surprising that Kirk is on the bench for this one after catching the entire 11-inning win over Boston on Wednesday night. The 26-year-old has gone 10-for-40 with a double, two RBI, three runs scored, no walks and six strikeouts in his first 10 games this year as Toronto's primary backstop. Fantasy managers setting DFS lineups should be able to do better than Heineman at catcher. The 33-year-old veteran does have six hits (one homer) in his first 14 at-bats this year, but he'll have little upside in the nine-hole. Heineman is hitless in just two career at-bats against Buehler.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 8, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays catcher
Alejandro Kirk (leg) is getting a breather on Tuesday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Tyler Heineman will take over the catching duties and work with left-hander
Easton Lucas while batting eighth against Red Sox left-hander
Garrett Crochet. According to manager John Schneider, Kirk is "a little beat up, but he's fine, just a normal off day" after fouling a ball off his leg "right below the kneecap in between the knee and the shin guard." The plan all along had been to give Heineman a start on Tuesday anyway. It's possible the Jays will give Kirk an extra day off on Wednesday, so fantasy managers will want to check back on his status. Fantasy managers setting DFS lineups should be able to do better at the catcher position than Heineman, who has never faced Crochet in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 30, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays catcher
Alejandro Kirk is not in Sunday's lineup when the Blue Jays conclude a series against the Baltimore Orioles. Kirk has started behind the dish in each of the first three games of the campaign. The 26-year-old has gone 2-for-11 at the plate with one run, one RBI, and two strikeouts. As a result,
Tyler Heineman will get the nod behind the dish and bat in the eight-hole. Fantasy managers should expect Kirk to return to the starting nine on Monday when the Blue Jays play host to the Washington Nationals. Heineman appeared in just eight MLB contests last season and posted a mere .083 AVG and should not be targeted in any DFS competitions this afternoon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 23, 2025
The Toronto Blue Jays and catcher
Alejandro Kirk agreed to a five-year, $58 million contract extension on Saturday. The 5-foot-8 backstop has been with the Jays' organization ever since he broke at 18 years old back in 2017 and will now be with Toronto through his age-30 season. The 2022 All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner puts the bat on the ball well, recording an 86.1 percent career contact rate and a low 11.5 percent strikeout rate, but it doesn't translate to much else, especially for fantasy. The 26-year-old has seen the counting stats dwindle since his All-Star season, finishing with five home runs, 54 RBI, and only 23 runs scored in 103 games last season. He's having a nice spring, though, slashing .302/.354/.465 with a pair of home runs and eight RBI, so perhaps he can carry that momentum into the regular season. Still, he's the 21st catcher coming off the board in drafts and has little upside, so he's really only viable in deeper and two-catcher leagues.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Robert Murray
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