Brandon Valenzuela
| Brandon Valenzuela | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Valenzuela with the Buffalo Bisons in 2026 | |
| Toronto Blue Jays – No. 59 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: October 2, 2000 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 5, 2026, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics (through August 13, 2026) | |
| Batting average | .228 |
| Home runs | 8 |
| Runs batted in | 21 |
| Teams | |
| |
Brandon Ivar Valenzuela (born October 2, 2000) is a Mexican professional baseball catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2026.
Career
[edit]San Diego Padres
[edit]Valenzuela signed with the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent on July 2, 2017. While playing for the San Antonio Missions, he was named the Texas League's player of the month for June 2024.[1]
Toronto Blue Jays
[edit]On July 31, 2025, the Padres traded Valenzuela to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Will Wagner.[2] He made 26 appearances for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, batting .207/.295/.370 with three home runs and 12 RBI. On November 6, the Blue Jays added Valenzuela to their 40-man roster to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency.[3]
The Blue Jays optioned Valenzuela to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2026 season.[4] On April 4, 2026, Valenzuela was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Alejandro Kirk was placed on the injured list.[5] He made his major league debut the following day.[6] On April 10, Valenzuela hit his first career major league home run off of Simeon Woods Richardson in a 10–4 win over the Minnesota Twins.[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ "San Antonio's Brandon Valenzuela Named Texas League Player of the Month for June". MiLB.com. July 3, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Blue Jays trade INF Will Wagner to Padres for C Brandon Valenzuela". Sportsnet. July 31, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ↑ Eustace, AJ; Deeds, Nick (November 6, 2025). "Blue Jays Announce Several Roster Moves". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
- ↑ "Blue Jays option C Valenzuela to Triple-A, assign five players to Minor League camp". TSN. March 18, 2026. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ Staff, Sportsnet (2026-04-04). "Blue Jays place Alejandro Kirk on IL with left thumb fracture, recall Valenzuela". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
- ↑ "Blue Jays' Valenzuela hits single in MLB debut vs. White Sox". sportsnet.ca. April 5, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- ↑ Singh, David (April 10, 2026). "Valenzuela's first career homer powers Blue Jays to comeback win over Twins". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Arizona League Padres players
- Baseball players from Hermosillo
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- Dominican Summer League Padres players
- El Paso Chihuahuas players
- Fort Wayne TinCaps players
- Lake Elsinore Storm players
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Major League Baseball players from Mexico
- Mexican expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Naranjeros de Hermosillo players
- San Antonio Missions players
- Toronto Blue Jays players