Toronto Blue Jays Announce Brandon Valenzuela News to Salvage Tigers Series

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TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 17: Brandon Valenzuela #59 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a solo home run in the sixth inning of their MLB game against the Chicago White Sox at Rogers Centre on July 17, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

The Toronto Blue Jays are in a crucial AL Wild Card race right now, and losing the first two games to the Detroit Tigers in a three-game set this week is not ideal for their chances.

However, the series between the Tigers and Jays wraps up on Wednesday afternoon, and there is still a chance for Toronto to salvage a game in the series and hope that the Guardians/White Sox continue to lose.

Before the series finale on Wednesday, the Blue Jays announced a Brandon Valenzuela lineup decision.

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Brandon Valenzuela in Blue Jays Lineup for Tigers Series Finale

For the series finale against the Tigers, Brandon Valenzuela is catching and batting eighth.

Alejandro Kirk is getting the day off from catching duties, as it will be Brandon Valenzuela forming a battery with Max Scherzer.

Here is the full Blue Jays batting order, announced by @UnderdogMLB:

Blue Jays 9/16: “B. Bateman CF N. Lukes RF V. Guerrero Jr. 1B G. Springer DH K. Okamoto 3B J. Smith 2B E. Clement SS B. Valenzuela C M. Straw LF M. Scherzer SP”

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Blue Jays 9/16

B. Bateman CF N. Lukes RF V. Guerrero Jr. 1B G. Springer DH K. Okamoto 3B J. Smith 2B E. Clement SS B. Valenzuela C M. Straw LF

M. Scherzer SP

11:30 am · 16 Sep 2026

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Some other notable changes include George Springer dropping to the cleanup spot, and Josh Smith batting sixth against the Tigers’ Keider Montero.

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Inside Brandon Valenzuela’s Rookie Campaign

Brandon Valenzuela is in the back end of his rookie campaign in MLB.

Over 85 games, he has batted .216 across 227 at-bats with eight home runs, nine doubles, and an OPS+ of 81.

He’s also been an important piece with his ability to be a solid backup to Alejandro Kirk, especially when Kirk was injured.

Valenzuela has certainly seen some playing time reduced, but he’s still a young, talented player, and the Jays likely don’t want to rush his development.

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