New York Mets claim catcher Tyler Heineman from Blue Jays

There weren’t any reports about the Blue Jays removing Heineman from their roster and there isn’t anything listed on the team’s official transaction page about him being placed on waivers or being designated for assignment. Regardless, Toronto now has 37 players on their 40-man roster.

Heineman was selected by the Houston Astros in the eighth round of the 2012 draft and he spent time with a few different organizations before making his big-league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2019. The Blue Jays signed Heineman in March of 2022 and he made a few appearances with the team before being claimed off of waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in May of that season.

The 32-year-old switch hitter re-signed with Pittsburgh in the off-season and only appeared in three games with the team in 2023 before the Pirates traded him to the Blue Jays for minor-league infielder Vinny Capra. Heineman was acquired to be Toronto’s third-string catcher and he filled in effectively during Danny Jansen’s two stints on the Injured List. He suited up in 19 games and went 8-for-29 with three runs driven in and seven walks and seven strikeouts.

The Blue Jays now have only two catchers on their 40-man roster, Jansen and Alejandro Kirk. They’ll surely be able to find another veteran third-string catcher later in the off-season and it’s possible they could work out a deal with the Mets to get Heineman back if they wanted to, just as they did earlier this year with the Pirates.