Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Facing six-week absence
Rotowire
Kirk underwent surgery Tuesday to have a screw inserted into his fractured left thumb and is expected to be sidelined about six weeks, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Kirk sustained the injury Friday when he was struck in the thumb by a foul tip, and the Blue Jays didn't waste any time placing him on the injured list. The 27-year-old should be able to rejoin the active roster in mid-May, assuming his recovery progresses as expected. Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela will handle the catching duties for Toronto in the meantime.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Undergoing thumb surgery Tuesday
Rotowire
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Kirk will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair his fractured left thumb, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Kirk landed on the 10-day injured list this past weekend after being diagnosed with a fracture, and a visit with Dr. Thomas Graham on Monday led to a recommendation of surgery. The fact that Kirk needed an operation to fix the fracture could lead to a longer absence, but a formal timetable for the catcher's return won't be known until after surgery is completed. According to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, the typical timeline for players to return from thumb surgery ranges from 3-to-6 weeks.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Diagnosed with fracture
Rotowire
The Blue Jays placed Kirk on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left thumb fracture, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.
Kirk took a foul tip off his left thumb while catching in the 10th inning of Friday's contest. He doesn't have a return timeline in place yet, per Mae, but some clarity should come after he visits a doctor Monday to determine whether surgery is required. In the meantime, Tyler Heineman will take over as Toronto's starting catcher, and Brandon Valenzuela will come up from Triple-A Buffalo to provide depth.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Departs after taking foul tip
Rotowire
Kirk was removed from Friday's game against the White Sox after being struck in the left thumb by a foul tip while catching, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Kirk went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI before departing during the bottom of the 10th inning after the foul tip. The Blue Jays should provide an update in the near future, but for now, the 27-year-old backstop should be considered day-to-day.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Not in Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Kirk is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies.
Kirk has gone 1-for-12 with two walks and a solo homer through three games and will sit Tuesday for the second time in Toronto's past three contests. Tyler Heineman will take over behind the plate to do the catching for veteran righty Max Scherzer.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Struggling since WBC
Rotowire
Kirk has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts in three games since rejoining the Blue Jays following the World Baseball Classic.
The 27-year-old catcher was a key player for Mexico in the tournament, batting .267 (4-for-15) in four games with a double and a homer, but Kirk hasn't been able to maintain that form back in the Grapefruit League. He's coming off a strong 2025 season in which he set new career highs with 15 homers and 76 RBI in 130 regular-season games while slashing .282/.348/.421.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: In lineup for Game 7
Rotowire
Kirk (hand) will start at catcher and bat sixth Saturday in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers.
Kirk made an early exit from Game 6 on Friday after getting hit on his left hand by a pitch. X-rays on his hand came back negative shortly after the game, and he'll officially remain in the starting nine for the final game of the World Series. Kirk has slashed .265/.361/.482 with five homers, 13 RBI and 13 runs scored across 77 plate appearances this postseason.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Headed for X-rays
Rotowire
Kirk will undergo X-rays on his left hand after getting hit by a pitch in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Kirk took an 85-mph splitter off his hand in the ninth inning of Friday's contest and was immediately replaced on the bases by a pinch runner. The Jays are optimistic that the 26-year-old backstop avoided a significant injury, but they'll send him in for imaging as a precaution. If Kirk is unable to start in the final game of the World Series on Saturday, Tyler Heineman would get the nod at catcher.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Plates three in Game 3 blowout
Rotowire
Kirk went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 13-4 win over the Mariners in Game 3 of the ALCS.
Kirk's homer off Caleb Ferguson in the eighth inning extended Toronto's lead to 12-2, putting an exclamation point on what was already shaping up to be a convincing road win for the Jays. Three of the 26-year-old backstop's seven postseason hits have flown over the outfield fence, helping to give him a cool .586 slugging percentage through seven games.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Powers Jays to Game 1 win
Rotowire
Kirk went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs during Saturday's 10-1 win over the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Kirk sent a Luis Gil offering 392 feet into left field to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and he provided some insurance by taking Paul Blackburn deep to lead off the eighth. The 26-year-old backstop finished the regular season with a career-high 15 homers and has now slugged five home runs across his last three contests.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Powers Jays in finale
Rotowire
Kirk went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a two-run homer and a double in Sunday's 13-4 win over Tampa Bay.
Kirk put the Jays ahead 5-1 with a grand slam off Ian Seymour in the first inning before extending Toronto's lead to 8-4 in the fifth with his second homer, a 419-foot blast off Edwin Uceta. Following a six-game stretch where he went 0-for-20, Kirk has gone 4-for-8 with three home runs in his last two contests. The 26-year-old catcher will finish the regular season with a .282/.348/.421 slash line, a career-best 15 homers, 76 RBI and 45 runs scored across 506 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Belts 13th homer of 2025
Rotowire
Kirk went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Toronto's 5-1 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Kirk -- who entered Saturday's tilt having gone 0-for-20 with one RBI across the last six games -- gave the Blue Jays a four-run lead in the seventh inning with a 432-foot solo shot to left field. The 26-year-old catcher is up to 13 home runs on the season, which is as many as he tallied across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns combined. Even with his recent struggles at the plate, Kirk is enjoying a strong season in which he's slashing .278/.345/.404 with 43 runs, 17 doubles and 70 RBI across 501 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Getting breather Thursday
Rotowire
Kirk is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Red Sox.
Kirk will receive a day of rest after starting at catcher in the first two games of the series. Tyler Heineman will be behind the dish and bat ninth as the Blue Jays try to avoid the sweep.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Resting Sunday
Rotowire
Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Kirk will get a routine breather after he had started at catcher in the last two contests. Tyler Heineman will fill in behind the dish in the series finale.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Taking seat Thursday
Rotowire
Kirk is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rays.
Kirk will receive a day off after starting at catcher in each of the first two games of the series. Tyler Heineman will be behind the dish for Thursday's matinee.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Kirk isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles.
Kirk will receive a day to reset after going 0-for-18 with four walks and two runs scored over his last six games. Tyler Heineman will start behind the dish instead and catch for Max Scherzer.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Kirk isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.
After going 0-for-3 with two walks and a run scored Friday, Kirk will step aside while Tyler Heineman catches for Chris Bassitt and bats ninth.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Keeps raking Wednesday
Rotowire
Kirk went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Reds.
The backstop clubbed one of four Toronto homers off Zack Littell in a wild 13-9 victory. Kirk has been on an XBH binge over the last few weeks, and in his last 15 games, he's slashing .333/.419/.685 with half of his hits (four doubles and five homers) going for extra bases, along with 10 runs and 17 RBI. Kirk's 12 long balls on the season leave him two away from tying the career-high 14 he launched in 2022, while his 65 RBI are already a new personal best.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Receiving Sunday off
Rotowire
Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Brewers.
Kirk went 1-for-7 with a walk and a double while starting the first two games of the series and will take a seat for Sunday's finale. Tyler Heineman will do the catching for Max Scherzer while batting eighth.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Back in action
Rotowire
Kirk (hand) is catching and batting sixth Friday against Milwaukee.
Kirk's right hand swelled up after being hit by a foul tip during Tuesday's game. While he finished Tuesday's contest, he was held out of Wednesday's game. The catcher will make his return to the starting lineup Friday and will look to extend his five-game hit streak.
