The Toronto Blue Jays have received a positive update on the injury recovery of All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk.
The all-world catcher broke his left thumb on April 3 against the Chicago White Sox, leaving that game immediately after a foul tip hit his catching hand. He was placed on the injured list the next day and then had successful surgery to fix his fractured digit.
The Blue Jays have missed their incredible catcher ever since then, going with a tandem of veteran backup Tyler Heineman and rookie Brandon Valenzuela in Kirk’s absence. While both catchers are doing their best to keep the Blue Jays afloat behind the dish, neither of them has the bat or glove that Kirk possesses, and the Blue Jays have dearly missed their starting catcher.
Alejandro Kirk Starting to Ramp up His Comeback
The Blue Jays received good news about Kirk this week as he recovers from his hand injury. According to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, Kirk has begun to throw, which is the first step in his comeback from the injury.
First step of many as he works his way back from thumb surgery
“Alejandro Kirk (thumb) has resumed throwing at Blue Jays player development complex in Dunedin. First step of many as he works his way back from thumb surgery,” Zwelling wrote on X.
There is still no definitive return date for Kirk to come back. But the hope is that he can return in late May or in early June, and the Blue Jays are hoping it’s sooner rather than later. They have dearly missed his production on both sides of the ball since he went down, plus the stoic leadership he provides to the entire pitching staff, so his return cannot come fast enough. At the same time, the Blue Jays do not want to rush him back from his injury, either.
The Blue Jays are Missing Alejandro Kirk
Kirk is a two-time MLB All-Star and former Silver Slugger winner as the league’s best hitting catcher. He is also one of the best defensive catchers in the majors, and many fans and media felt he should have won the Gold Glove last year, which went to Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler instead.
Before going down with an injury this season, Kirk only played in 5 games for the Blue Jays, and he wasn’t that productive, sporting just a .577 OPS. But that’s a small sample size, and for his career, Kirk is one of the best offensive catchers in the league. Ever since he joined MLB in 2020, Kirk has been an above-average hitter based on wRC+, and his defense is some of the best at his position, too. The Blue Jays have truly missed him since he went down, as both Heineman and Valenzuela are not in the same stratosphere as Kirk, though both players have been doing their best to help the team out while their starting C is out.
The Blue Jays are 14-17 through the first 31 games of the regular season. They hope to get back to .500 soon and then start making a run back to a playoff spot, as this team still has the goal of winning the World Series despite their slow start to the season.
Blue Jays Get Positive Update on All-Star’s Injury Recovery