Blue Jays Sign New Catcher After Alejandro Kirk Setback Tests Depth

The Toronto Blue Jays endured another surprising delay last week as early season injuries piled up and the team struggled to record wins.

On Sunday, the team encountered some mechanical problems with their chartered plane and opted for a long bus ride before taking on the Los Angeles Angels. In an early season marked by setbacks, though, that one might have helped galvanize the group, which went on to rattle off a series win.

“I felt like I was back in the Northwest League,” manager John Schneider said of the travel snafu, according to the Associated Press. “But we made the best of it.”

The team evidently turned the obstacle into a bonding activity, as star pitcher Max Scherzer hosted an informal “kangaroo court” trial for Schneider after the travel downgrade. And it seems to have unlocked something for the team’s production, though the injuries are still being felt.

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Toronto Blue Jays Add Catcher Depth After Alejandro Kirk Injury Setback

No loss has been more impactful than that of catcher Alejandro Kirk, who earned an All-Star nod for his 15-homer season last year but had to undergo surgery on a broken thumb earlier this month.

The team has gone with a combination of Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela, who they called up from the minors in his absence. And as they await for Kirk to return, the Blue Jays have been looking to restock their depth at the position.

Earlier this month, the team signed 26-year-old backstop Adam Hackenberg to a minor-league deal. And now the official transaction log indicates the Blue Jays have also signed long-time Twins prospect Patrick Winkel.

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Winkel was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2018 before deciding to attend the University of Connecticut, then re-entering the draft for 2021. His stock went up considerably and the Twins selected him in the ninth round.

In five seasons working his way up from Single-A to Triple-A with the Twins’ farm system, Winkel slashed .244/.322/.390 with a dip in his power in the past two seasons.

“At this point in his career, he has yet to see an MLB game,” Heavy’s Caleb Kerney noted. “However, he has played 288 games in the minors. In those games, he has collected 247 hits, 31 home runs, 53 doubles, and 152 RBIs.”

Without some lasting offensive improvement, Winkel won’t mark an upgrade for the Blue Jays’ big-league roster, even with Kirk out. But as the star backstop’s injury stretches the organizational depth, it seems the Blue Jays are on the lookout for some prospective talent that can bring upside to their minor league system.