Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Goes yard again Wednesday
Rotowire
Kirk went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Rays.
The backstop got the Jays on the board with a solo shot off Drew Rasmussen in the top of the fourth inning. Kirk has left the yard in consecutive games and three times in the last five as part of an eight-game hitting streak. Over that heater, he's produced a .424/.500/.758 slash line with two doubles, five runs, nine RBI and a 5:2 BB:K.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Strong night at Tropicana Field
Rotowire
Kirk went 3-for-6 with a double, a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored during the Blue Jays' 10-5 win over the Rays on Tuesday.
Kirk extended his hitting streak to seven games with a double in the first inning. He proceeded to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 4-0 with a two-run homer in the third -- his sixth long ball of the year -- before driving in another run in the fourth, en route to setting a season high in RBI. Through 15 games in August, Kirk has gone 20-for-51 (.392) with three home runs and 13 RBI.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Drives in two runs Friday
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Kirk went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI double and a solo home run during the Blue Jays' 3-1 win over the Yankees on Friday.
Kirk put the Blue Jays ahead with an RBI double in the sixth inning before adding an insurance run with a long ball off Bradley Hanner in the eighth. Kirk has recorded two hits in three of his last four outings and has gone 15-for-39 (.385) with two home runs and nine RBI across 12 games in August.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Out of Toronto lineup
Rotowire
Kirk is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Red Sox.
Kirk started at catcher each of the last two days, so he'll get a breather during Thursday's afternoon tilt. Brandon Valenzuela is behind the dish and batting seventh for the Blue Jays.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Kirk is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Kirk is receiving a routine day of rest during the series opener versus Boston. Brandon Valenzuela will grab the start at catcher and will bat ninth for the Blue Jays.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Getting rest Saturday
Rotowire
Kirk isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus Philadelphia.
Kirk will begin on the bench after starting both Thursday and Friday, going 4-for-8 with three RBI in that pair of contests. Brandon Valenzuela is getting a turn behind the plate in Kirk's stead.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Out of starting nine
Rotowire
Kirk is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against Houston.
Despite recording at least one hit in 10 of his last 11 games, Kirk will sit out Wednesday's series finale. Brandon Valenzuela will be behind the plate and bat fifth for Toronto.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Goes yard in Monday's win
Rotowire
Kirk went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-1 victory over the Astros.
Kirk opened the scoring with a solo shot over the left-field wall in the second inning. The catcher is in the midst of a 10-game on-base streak, during which he has clubbed two homers and driven in six runs. The 27-year-old is slowly trending in the right direction amid an injury-affected and otherwise lackluster campaign. Kirk is slashing .237/.318/.359 with four homers, 15 RBI and 10 runs across 39 contests.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Not in Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Kirk is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
Kirk started the previous two games and will get a breather Tuesday after going 2-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout. Brandon Valenzuela will step in behind the plate to catch veteran righty Shane Bieber while batting sixth.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Kirk isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox.
Kirk has notched at least one base hit in each of his last four games, but the Blue Jays will keep him on the bench to begin Saturday's contest and instead start Brandon Valenzuela at catcher.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Kirk is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Rays.
It's a regular day off for Kirk, who is sporting just a .598 OPS with one home run in 25 games since coming off the injured list. Brandon Valenzuela will grab a start at catcher in Kirk's stead.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Not starting Sunday
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Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Kirk will get a day off for the final game of the first half after starting the previous three contests and going 4-for-12 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI in that span. Brandon Valenzuela will step in behind the plate to catch right-hander Kevin Gausman on Sunday.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Kirk is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Kirk will be given a breather after he started at catcher in the final two games of the Blue Jays' weekend series versus the Rangers. Brandon Valenzuela will step in behind the plate Monday and form a battery with starting pitcher Trey Yesavage.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Kirk isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.
Kirk went 3-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored during his first game back from the IL on Friday, and he'll now retreat to the bench as the Jays look to ease him back into regular playing time. Brandon Valenzuela will fill in behind the plate and bat sixth.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Three hits in return
Rotowire
Kirk went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI and one run scored in Friday's win over the Yankees.
Kirk returned from a two-month absence Friday and made an immediate contribution with an RBI double during the first inning before delivering another run-scoring knock in the fifth. The 27-year-old has now played in six games this season and is batting .261 (6-for-23) with two doubles, a homer, four RBI and three runs.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Could return early next week
Rotowire
Kirk (thumb) could be activated from the injured list early next week, with Blue Jays manager John Schneider indicating the catcher would need about 20 at-bats on his rehab assignment before being ready to rejoin the lineup, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Kirk will begin his rehab stint at Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday, and depending on whether he's allowed to play on consecutive days right away, he could have time to get in 20 at-bats by the weekend. The organization might elect to be a little more cautious with the 27-year-old given that he last saw big-league action April 3, but with the Jays sliding in the standings and looking for a spark, they'll want their starting backstop back in the lineup as soon as possible. Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela will continue holding down the fort behind the plate until Kirk is cleared to return.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Beginning rehab assignment as DH
Rotowire
Kirk (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Kirk will serve as the designated hitter when he begins his rehab assignment. The 27-year-old cleared the final steps in his recovery needed to begin the assignment by catching a live batting practice session and facing live pitching. He still needs plenty of playing time before he returns to Toronto.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Hitting on field
Rotowire
Kirk (thumb) has been taking on-field batting practice and is expected to begin hitting off a high-velocity pitching machine in the coming days, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Kirk has been sidelined since April 4 and is currently on the 60-day IL. He's probably still at least a week away from beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, so the backstop doesn't seem likely to be activated until mid-June, at the earliest. Brandon Valenzuela and Tyler Heineman have been handling catching duties for the Blue Jays while Kirk has been out of action.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Eyeing rehab games late next week
Rotowire
Kirk (thumb) is aiming to start hitting off a pitching machine this weekend before beginning a rehab assignment by the start of the Blue Jays' June 5-14 homestand, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Kirk has been catching bullpen sessions and taking live batting practice at the club's spring training complex in Florida, and game action is just around the corner. Assuming he's able to kick off a rehab assignment at the start of the Blue Jays' next homestand, he should be activated by mid-June. Kirk has been shelved since early April after having surgery to repair a fractured left thumb.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Not ready to take full BP yet
Rotowire
Kirk has not been cleared to take full batting practice yet because he still feels a bit of soreness in his surgically repaired left thumb while hitting, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Kirk is performing all other baseball activities, and by the end of this week, the Blue Jays expect to have a better idea of when the catcher will be ready for a rehab assignment. The 27-year-old is six weeks removed from surgery to have a screw inserted into his fractured left thumb. Whether Kirk can make it back before the end of May is starting to shape up as an uncertain proposition.
