Tyler Heineman opens up about what led to his Blue Jays exit

The Toronto Blue Jays are sitting at 43-49. That’s not where anyone expected them to be after going to the World Series last year and taking the Dodgers to seven games. It’s been a grind, and the roster moves reflect that.

One of those moves happened last month when the Blue Jays designated veteran catcher Tyler Heineman for assignment and shipped him to the Los Angeles Angels. Heineman didn’t dodge the hard questions about why it happened.

He got straight to the point.

“Brandon Valenzuela came up and did very well. I’m happy for him. That’s how you get established in the big leagues,” Heineman told Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “He outperformed me significantly, and the writing was on the wall.”

That’s about as honest as you’ll hear a player get about his own departure. No spin, no vague references to “the business side.” Just a guy acknowledging he got beat out.

Valenzuela, 26, has been something of a revelation for Toronto. He’s hit .287 with six homers since being called up, and his defense behind the plate has been steady. The Blue Jays needed a boost anywhere they could find one, and Valenzuela gave it to them at a position where they’d been thin.

Heineman had been with the organization since September 2024, when Toronto claimed him off waivers from Boston. That stint was actually his second go-round with the Blue Jays. He also spent time with the Giants, Phillies and a few other clubs over the years. The guy knows how the league works. Which probably made this all easier to swallow, even if it stung.

Now he’s in Anaheim, where the Angels are basically running a tryout camp for the rest of the season. Their catcher depth isn’t exactly stacked, so Heineman should get a real shot at regular playing time. For a 33-year-old backup catcher, that’s not nothing.

As for Toronto, the hope is that the All-Star break gives everyone a chance to reset. They’ve got the talent to make a run — Vlad Guerrero Jr. is still Vlad Guerrero Jr., and the pitching staff has stretches where it looks elite. But they’re running out of time to figure out why it hasn’t clicked consistently.

Heineman, meanwhile, is just focused on the next thing. No hard feelings. Just baseball.