Heineman was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
He's replacing the injured Danny Jansen (groin) on the roster. Heineman could get the occasional start while Jansen is on the mend, but Alejandro Kirk will be Toronto's primary catcher.
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Blue Jays' Tyler Heineman: Sent to Toronto
Rotowire
Heineman was traded from the Pirates to the Blue Jays on Sunday in exchange for Vinny Capra.
Heineman was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and Toronto opted to trade for him rather than risk a waiver claim. He should head to Triple-A Buffalo to serve as organizational catching depth.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Heineman was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Wednesday.
This move clears out a 40-man roster spot for Cody Bolton, who is joining the Pirates' bullpen ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Dodgers. A journeyman catcher, Heineman heads into DFA limbo with a career .210/.276/.269 major-league batting line.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Optioned to Triple-A level
Rotowire
Heineman was optioned Friday to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Heineman gets the boot with fellow catcher Austin Hedges returning from the 7-day concussion injured list. Jason Delay remains up as the Pirates' other option at catcher.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Makes first start
Rotowire
Heineman went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Heineman was called up Tuesday after Austin Hedges (concussion) was placed on the injured list, and he immediately drew a start behind the plate while hitting ninth. He had a key sequence to provide Pittsburgh with an insurance run during the seventh inning, as he reached base on a single, stole second base and then came around to score. Heineman managed just a .544 OPS across 174 plate appearances in the majors in 2022, so his ability to provide ongoing production is questionable at best.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Called up to majors
Rotowire
The Pirates selected Heineman's contract from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Austin Hedges was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list, so Heineman gets the call-up to share time behind the plate with Jason Delay. Neither catcher is expected to warrant much attention outside of NL-only leagues.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Reassigned to minors camp
Rotowire
Heineman was reassigned Tuesday to the minor-league side of Pirates camp.
Austin Hedges will open the 2023 season as the primary catcher in Pittsburgh, with Jason Delay backing him up. Heineman, 31, is a career .214/.279/.276 hitter in 236 plate appearances at the MLB level.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Inks deal with Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Heineman signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Heineman will be brought in to compete for the big-league catching job, a position that has become increasingly thin for Pittsburgh since the end of the 2022 campaign. Endy Rodriguez will also get a shot to win the job as one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball. Heineman spent 62 games in the major leagues a season ago, slashing .217/.276/.268 with nine RBI, one stolen base and 16 runs scored during stops in Pittsburgh and Toronto.
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Tyler Heineman: Enters free agency
Rotowire
The Pirates declined to tender Heineman a contract for 2023, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Thrust into a regular role with Pittsburgh after joining the team on a waiver claim, Heineman slumped to a .211/.277/.254 line in 52 games with the Pirates. He missed time due to a groin injury and a concussion. His experience could keep him around the game for a while yet as catching depth is always in demand.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: DFA'd by Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Heineman was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Tuesday.
Heineman appeared in 62 games between the Pirates and Blue Jays last season and had a .217/.276/.268 slash line, and he won't stick on Pittsburgh's 40-man roster through the offseason.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Back from IL
Rotowire
Heineman (concussion) was activated from the 7-day injured list and is starting behind the plate Sunday against the Cardinals, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Heineman has been unavailable for the past week-plus with a concussion, but he's cleared the necessary protocols and is back in the lineup Sunday. The 31-year-old had a .916 OPS over eight games in September prior to his stint on the injured list.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Placed on 7-day IL
Rotowire
Heineman (concussion) was placed on the 7-day injured list Friday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Heineman was slashing .364/.462/.455 over the past three weeks, but he will now be forced to sit out for at least a week. Ji-hwan Bae joins the active roster in his place.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: On bench again
Rotowire
Heineman is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Heineman had been scheduled to catch for the Pirates in Monday's 7-5 loss in the series opener, only to be scratched due to "manager's discretion," per Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Skipper Derek Shelton will keep Heineman on the bench Tuesday for a third straight contest, with each absence from the lineup coming against a right-handed starting pitcher. Jason Delay seems to have unseated Heineman as Shelton's preferred option behind the plate.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Late scratch Monday
Rotowire
Heineman is no longer in the starting lineup for Monday's game against Milwaukee, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Heineman was initially penciled into the starting lineup behind the dish, but he's since been removed due "manager's discretion," per Persak. Jason Delay will handle the catching duties and bat ninth as a result.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Gets Sunday off
Rotowire
Heineman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
Heineman and Jason Delay have now alternated turns behind the plate in each of the past 10 games, with the two backstops drawing five starts apiece. Expect the timeshare to remain in place unless of one of the two catchers clearly separates himself from the other from a performance standpoint.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Day off Friday
Rotowire
Heineman isn't starting Friday against the Phillies.
Heineman has alternated starts behind the dish with Jason Delay recently and will head to the bench after he went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk Wednesday against Atlanta. Delay is starting at catcher and batting ninth.
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Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Takes seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Heineman is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta.
The switch-hitting Heineman will bow out of the starting nine versus Atlanta southpaw Max Fried, with the righty-hitting Jason Delay getting the nod at catcher. The two backstops are expected to work in a timeshare moving forward, with Heineman likely drawing most of the starts versus right-handed pitching.
