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Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by AdpathwayBy Darragh McDonald | August 5, 2025 at 4:25pm CDT
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy. In a corresponding move, catcher Ali Sánchez has been designated for assignment. The 40-man roster remains full.
Sánchez was selected to the roster a little over a week ago when Alejandro Kirk landed on the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Kirk was reinstated on Sunday but Tyler Heineman had been removed from Saturday’s contest after being struck by a foul ball. The Jays decided to keep all three catchers for a few days to buy some time as they evaluated Heineman.
In order to keep that catching depth, they had to cut into their infield group, as Leo Jiménez was optioned down to Triple-A Buffalo move as the corresponding move for Kirk’s activation. It now appears the club is satisfied with Heineman’s health enough to restore the previous balance, so they have swapped out a catcher for an infielder. Since Sánchez is out of options, he had to be removed from the 40-man roster. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Jays will have to place him on waivers.
It’s the second time this year that Sánchez has gotten a brief stint on the roster as an injury replacement. He was called up in May when Heineman was on the concussion IL. Sánchez was designated for assignment just over a week later when Heineman was reinstated. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and re-signed on a new minor league deal, which allowed him to get back to the big leagues again when Kirk got hurt. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.
Around the transactions, Sánchez has hit .238/.238/.333 in 21 big league plate appearances. He has a strong .279/.347/.419 line and 107 wRC+ in 199 Triple-A plate appearances this year. The Jays added some catching depth ahead of the deadline by sending Will Wagner to the Padres for Brandon Valenzuela, but Valenzuela has no big league experience and even limited time at Triple-A. The Jays would presumably be open to bringing Sánchez back in a non-roster capacity so he could again be the first man up if one of the big league catchers gets hurt.
More to come.