Brandon Valenzuela

Brandon Ivar Valenzuela

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 225 lb.

• Debut April 5, 2026

• Born October 2, 2000 in Hermosillo, Sonora MEX

BR page

Biographical Information

Catcher Brandon Valenzuela was signed by the San Diego Padres as an international amateur free agent out of Mexico on July 2, 2017. He began his pro career with the DSL Padres in 2018, then moved to the U.S. in 2019. After sitting out the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, his first full season came in 2021 when he appeared in both Low-A and High-A. In 2022, he spent a full season with the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League, hitting .209/.334/.348. In 2023, he split the season between Fort Wayne and the AA San Antonio Missions, with a batting line of .239/.337/.374 in 66 games. In 2024, he made it to AAA for the first time after starting the year in San Antonio. He hit .232 with 9 homers and 47 RBIs in 111 games between the two stops.

He returned to San Antonio to start the 2025 season and was still there on July 31st when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in return for Will Wagner, a trade motivated by the fact that the Blue Jays were very thin at the catching position in their system and did not have a true prospect playing there until the trade. He finished the year with the AAA Buffalo Bisons. Between the two teams, in 113 games, his slash line was .224/.309/.383 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs.

He impressed in spring training in 2026, getting more playing time than he would normally have because the regular, Alejandro Kirk, was off for a while playing for the Mexican national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Valenzuela started the year back at Buffalo, but just one week into the season, on April 3rd, Kirk was injured in the first game of a series against the Chicago White Sox and was immediately placed on the injured list. Brandon was called up to take his spot on the roster and made his debut on April 5th, starting behind the plate against the White Sox. He hit a single against Davis Martin in his first at-bat and struck out in his other two at-bats. After going hitless in his next few games, he hit his first career homer on April 10th against Simeon Woods Richardson of the Minnesota Twins. The blast came in the 5th inning with Andrés Giménez on base and turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead that Toronto never lost after that, winning 10-4. Before the game, manager John Schneider had told reporters he had specifically chosen Valenzuela to start that game because he felt his power could play well against Woods Richardson, who does not have an elite fastball, making the manager appear like a genius. As the season advanced, he clearly got the best of veteran Tyler Heineman, who was struggling to contribute anything at all with the bat. Brandon got the bulk of the starts and continued to hit the occasional homer from the ninth spot in the lineup, with his fourth long ball coming on May 9th when he went 4 for 5 in a 14-1 demolition of the Los Angeles Angels. By then, it was clear that when Kirk was ready to return in a few weeks, it was Heineman who was likely to be the odd man out, which is exactly what happened on June 12th. By then, he was hitting .252 in 46 games, with 7 homers and 18 RBIs for an OPS+ of 115.

Further Reading

• Keegan Matheson: "Valenzuela makes his mark with go-ahead blast for 1st MLB HR", mlb.com, April 10, 2026. [1]
• Keegan Matheson: "Toronto thought it had a glove-first backup; Valenzuela's been much more", mlb.com, June 10, 2026. [2]

Related Sites

• Brandon Valenzuela on mlb.com
• BR Minors page