TORONTO, ON - JUNE 23: Alejandro Kirk #30 of the Toronto Blue Jays returns to the dugout during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre on June 23, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays dropped a consecutive game to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, marking their fifth straight series loss in the young season.
As the team deals with a range of injury issues, the pitching staff has been fairly resilient. But the batting order has become the larger concern.
“The Blue Jays don’t need a full lineup of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Aaron Judge impersonators, but they need more balance, more big blows to balance out all of the jabs,” Keegan Matheson pointed out for MLB.com. “Right now, this production feels closer to their 2024 offense, not the ‘25 group that clicked.”
Aside from slow starts from returning hitters, the Blue Jays can point to some roster changes for the offensive issues. First and foremost, the team cut ties with Bo Bichette, who joined the New York Mets in free agency. It also must account for a transition period for Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto in his rookie Major League Baseball season.
And the team has been without two-time All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk, who slashed .282/.348/.421 with 15 home runs last year. Kirk underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb earlier this month and isn’t expected back for several weeks.
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In Kirk’s absence, the team has relied on Tyler Heineman, who is batting .300 so far, and rookie Brandon Valenzuela, batting just .174, behind the dish. And last week, they got some more bad news about their catcher options as Heineman started experiencing back spasms.
Following that injury update, the team has leaned on Valenzuela, which seems to have been a detriment to its offensive production. And on Wednesday, an official transaction log revealed that the team had signed 26-year-old backstop Adam Hackenberg for some additional depth at the position.
Hackenberg was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals in 2018 but opted to attend Clemson University and re-enter the draft in 2021, when he was taken by the Chicago White Sox. Across five minor league seasons, he has slashed .238/.326/.334.
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“Hackenberg’s future is in real flux with the White Sox,” Brett Ballantini noted for SBNation’s South Side Sox last year. “Given the likelihood of Ryan Teel and Edgar Quero battling for playing time in Charlotte, there is no role for Adam at Triple-A in 2025.”
Now he has been assigned to the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons, where he could become an important depth option as the big-league team navigates its increasing list of injuries.
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