BREYVIC VALERA NEWS

Released, heading to foreign league Valera was released by the Blue Jays on Tuesday in order to pursue an opportunity in a foreign league, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Impact Valera appeared in 39 games for Toronto in 2021 and hit .253/.313/.356 with one homer, 15 RBI and 10 runs in 97 plate appearances. It's unclear which league he's moving to, but the 29-year-old won't open 2022 in a major-league system.

DECEMBER 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Filling bench role Valera remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Impact Valera started at third base in his return from the COVID-19 injured list last Thursday, but he'll since retreated to the bench for each of the Blue Jays' subsequent five contests. Santiago Espinal returned from the IL a day after Valera and looks poised to finish the regular season as the Blue Jays' top option at the hot corner.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Reinstated from COVID IL Valera was reinstated from the COVID-related injured list Thursday.

Impact The 29-year-old was placed on the list Wednesday after being identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive. He only ended up missing one contest and will start at third base and bat eighth Thursday. Over his last seven contests, Valera has batted .304 with eight RBI and a stolen base.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jays' Breyvic Valera placed on the COVID-19 related IL

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Breyvic Valera was placed on the COVID-19 related IL and infielder Kevin Smith was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo before a game at AL East-leading Tampa...

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • Associated Press

Goes on COVID IL The Blue Jays will place Valera on the COVID-19-related injured list Wednesday after he was identified as a close contact of an infected person, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Impact According to Davidi, a family member of Valera's contracted the virus, so the Blue Jays wouldn't seem to be at risk of a team-wide outbreak. Valera is fully vaccinated and has been testing negative for the virus, leaving the Blue Jays optimistic that he'll be sidelined for a short period of time. Jake Lamb will serve as Toronto's top third baseman while Valera is away.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Breyvic Valera's RBI groundout  ' 09/21/2021 Breyvic Valera grounds out to short while scoring Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the top of the 3rd

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • MLB.COM

Sitting after two straight starts Valera is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Impact After going 2-for-6 with a double, two walks, an RBI and a stolen base while making starts at third base Saturday and Sunday against the Twins, Valera will cede the hot corner to Jake Lamb in the series opener with the Rays. Valera should remain the Blue Jays' top third baseman versus left-handed pitching, but he'll likely split work with Lamb against righties.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Breyvic Valera's RBI single ' 09/19/2021 Breyvic Valera caps a five-run 1st inning for the Blue Jays with an RBI single to right field

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • MLB.COM

Retreats to bench after four starts Valera is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Impact Valera started at third base in each of the Blue Jays' last four games, going 5-for-14 with a double and seven RBI. Despite the uptick in work, Valera still looks to be stuck in the short side of a platoon at the hot corner with the lefty-hitting Jake Lamb, who gets the starting nod Wednesday with righty Michael Wacha on the hill for Tampa Bay. Three of Valera's last four starts came against left-handed starting pitchers or primary pitchers.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

On base four times Monday Valera went 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBI in Monday's 8-1 win over the Rays.

Impact The 29-year-old utility player joined in on the fun of a 17-hit attack by the Jays and drove in three runs for the second straight game. Valera is slashing an improbable .391/.444/.652 through 27 plate appearances in September with a homer and 10 RBI, but that figure seems less surprising in light of Toronto's ridiculous team OPS of 1.044 on the month. While the Jays' offense can do no wrong, Valera becomes an intriguing option in daily leagues when he does get a start.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Breyvic Valera's RBI single ' 09/13/2021 Breyvic Valera pulls an RBI single into left field, scoring Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to grow the Blue Jays' lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the 5th

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 • MLB.COM

Breyvic Valera's two-run single ' 09/13/2021 Breyvic Valera lines a two-run single into left field to increase the Blue Jays' lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the 4th

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 • MLB.COM

Plays supporting role in hit parade Valera went 2-for-6 with a double and three RBI in Saturday's 22-7 win over the Orioles.

Impact Valera's solid day at the dish was a mere footnote during a weekend in Baltimore in which Toronto put up 44 runs, but the three RBI established a new season high for the 29-year-old and nearly matched his output (four) from the past month. Though he closed the weekend with back-to-back starts at third base, Valera still looks to be behind Jake Lamb in the pecking order for reps at the position.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Breyvic Valera's two-run double ' 09/12/2021 Breyvic Valera ropes a two-run double to center field, growing the Blue Jays' lead to 16-3 in the top of the 3rd

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 • MLB.COM

Breyvic Valera's RBI double ' 09/09/2021 Breyvic Valera scores Teoscar Hernández from first base with an RBI double and advances to third base on the throw to home plate

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 • MLB.COM

Retreats to bench Valera is on the bench for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Impact Valera had started three of the past four games at third base, but it's not yet clear if he's usurped Kevin Smith as the top option at the position. Look for manager Charlie Montoyo to deploy the two in a rough timeshare at the hot corner for the next few games, hoping that one of the two catches fire at the plate. Recent waiver pickup Jake Lamb could also factor into the mix at the position.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Knocks first homer Valera went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 10-8 win over Oakland.

Impact The 29-year-old extended Toronto's lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning with his first homer of the year. Valera has started to find his way at the plate a bit more, but he's still just 4-for-13 across his last seven games. He's slashing .241/.281/.352 with five RBI and nine runs scored across 57 plate appearances overall. Valera has mainly competed with Kevin Smith for playing time at third base recently.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Breyvic Valera's two-run homer ' 09/04/2021 Breyvic Valera clobbers a two-run home run to right field for his first of the season, increasing the Blue Jays' lead to 4-0

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 • MLB.COM

Breyvic Valera's nifty stop ' 08/28/2021 Breyvic Valera showcases his glove at the hot corner, taking a base hit away from Jonathan Schoop on a smooth sliding stop

AUGUST 29, 2021 • MLB.COM

Valera scores on wild pitch in the eighth inning as Blue Jays edge White Sox 2-1 TORONTO - Breyvic Valera scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning and Jordan Romano earned his 12th save as the Toronto...

AUGUST 24, 2021 • THESTAR.COM

Losing work to Espinal Valera will start at third base and bat sixth Wednesday against the Nationals.

Impact Valera started five times in a six-game stretch from Aug. 5 through 12, but he appears to have fallen behind Santiago Espinal in the pecking order at the third base. Though he'll join the lineup Wednesday while Espinal rests for the day game after a night game, Valera could soon see his opportunities take another hit after Toronto called up a pair of utility players (Otto Lopez and Kevin Smith) from Triple-A Buffalo within the past two days.

AUGUST 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Singles twice in victory Valera went 2-for-4 with a run scored Sunday in the Blue Jays' 9-8 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Santiago Espinal initially appeared to be first in line to handle an everyday role at third base when Cavan Biggio (back/neck) went on the injured list Aug. 3, but Valera has surprisingly factored into the mix at the position as well. He picked up his fifth start in seven games Sunday, with four of those assignments coming at the hot corner. Valera has delivered a pair of two-hit games during that stretch to bolster his case for playing time, but it's not yet clear if he's usurped Espinal as manager Charlie Montoyo's preferred option at third base.

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Breyvic Valera's RBI groundout ' 08/03/2021 Breyvic Valera hits an RBI groundout to second base, scoring Teoscar Hernández to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 4-1 in the 4th inning

AUGUST 4, 2021 • MLB.COM

Breyvic Valera's RBI groundout ' 08/03/2021 Breyvic Valera hits an RBI groundout to second base, scoring Teoscar Hernández to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 4-1 in the 4th inning

AUGUST 4, 2021 • MLB.COM

Rejoins Blue Jays Valera was reinstated from the family medical emergency list Friday.

Impact Valera was away from the team since Monday, but he'll be available off the bench during Friday's series opener against the Mets. Right-hander Patrick Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make room on the active roster.

JULY 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE