Alejandro

Kirk

No surprise with Kirk sitting out Saturday’s afternoon affair following Friday night’s series opener. The 27-year-old backstop went 3-for-3 with two RBI and reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances in his return from the injured list on Friday. He missed the previous 10 weeks recovering from thumb surgery. It’ll be rookie Brandon Valenzuela handling the catching duties in this one.

Kirk reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances in his return to Toronto’s lineup following a 10-week absence recovering from thumb surgery. The 27-year-old backstop’s return provides a huge lift for the Blue Jays, who got a strong performance from rookie Brandon Valenzuela during his layoff.

He’ll be active tonight, batting cleanup behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kirk fractured his thumb in early April and was only 3-for-20 before going on the injured list, missing a little over two months of the season. Kirk’s ability to hit for average should keep him in the rolodex at catcher in 12-team leagues.

Kirk played eight innings behind the plate during his latest rehab contest and appears to be trending towards a return to Toronto’s lineup at some point later this week. The 27-year-old backstop has been working his way back from thumb surgery back in early April.

Blue Jays manager John Scheider left open the possibility that Kirk could be ready for Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. The 27-year-old backstop kicked off a rehab assignment in the lower minors last week and will get a few additional contests under his belt to knock off any remaining rust this week. He’s been out since undergoing thumb surgery back in early April.

Kirk will be limited to DH at the outset of his extended rehab assignment as he continues to work his way back from a thumb procedure that he underwent back in April. He’s likely going to need at least two weeks of rehab contests to get back up to speed following the extended layoff. Kirk is on track to rejoin Toronto’s lineup at some point in mid-June.

Kirk is back with the Blue Jays as they open a road series in Baltimore and will hit on the field before the contest before hopefully being cleared for a minor league rehab assignment. The 27-year-old backstop has been on the shelf since undergoing thumb surgery back on April 7. He should make it back to Toronto’s lineup by early June.

Kirk’s movement clears room on the 40-man roster for Austin Voth. The 27-year-old is still recovering from his fractured thumb, and the Blue Jays are hoping he’ll be able to return during the summer. The placement on the 60-day list doesn’t change that timeline.

Kirk has already been catching bullpens and live batting practice sessions regularly in Dunedin so it sounds like being cleared to hit live pitching will be his final hurdle before he’s cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment. He’s still probably at least a couple of weeks away, but appears to be trending in the right direction.

Kirk has been doing hitting drills and caught a Shane Bieber (elbow) bullpen over the weekend. However, he feels his fractured thumb more when he’s hitting than when he’s catching, which is why he hasn’t fully started hitting off of live pitching yet. We should have a better idea of his timeline when he can do that.