The Blue Jays are placing catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 7-day concussion injured list this morning, according to a report from Arden Zwelling of Sportnet. Catcher Ali Sanchez is being selected to the roster to replace Kirk. No corresponding 40-man move was necessary for Sanchez, as the Blue Jays had an open spot on their 40-man roster to work with.
Kirk took a foul ball off of his face mask during the second inning of yesterday’s game, and evidently he was shaken up enough by the incident that the Blue Jays have opted to place him on the injured list for the next week. The severity of Kirk’s symptoms aren’t known at this point, and it’s unclear if he’s ticketed for a lengthier stay on the injured list than a minimum stint of seven days. Regardless, losing Kirk for any amount of time is a major blow. The 26-year-old has been in the midst of a resurgent season where he’s managed to combine the above-average offense he offered earlier in his career with the stalwart defense he’s provided in more recent seasons. He’s slashing .304/.361/.413 (117 wRC+) across 88 games for Toronto this year and he’s received top-of-the-scale marks from advanced metrics on all aspects of his defense behind the plate.
With Kirk out of commission, the Blue Jays will have to turn to a combination of Tyler Heineman and Sanchez. Toronto’s strong play in recent weeks has afforded the club the best record in not just the AL East, but all of baseball. With a 6.5-game lead in the division over the Yankees, the Jays have the benefit of some breathing room as they wait for Kirk to recover. It also surely helps ease any concerns about Kirk’s status that Heineman has enjoyed a breakout season as the primary backup to Kirk this year. In 37 games, the 34-year-old has posted a sensational .330/.394/.495 slash line (149 wRC+) to go with strong defensive numbers behind the plate. Heineman can’t reasonably be expected to keep that production up forever given his sky-high .391 BABIP, but even a major step back would still make him a worthy fill-in option for the Jays while Kirk is out.
As for Sanchez, it will be the 28-year-old’s second stint with the Blue Jays this year after he appeared in five games earlier this season. Sanchez has never offered much production with the bat, slashing just .176/.217/.222 over 43 career games in the majors since he made his debut back in 2020. Sanchez makes up for that poor offensive production with well-respected defense behind the plate, however, and should be a serviceable short-term backup for Heineman for the time being.
With Toronto clearly in win-now position and the trade deadline just days away, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Jays could consider making a move behind the plate if they think Kirk could be facing an extended absence. Old friend Danny Jansen is rumored to be available in the event that the Rays decide to sell off in the coming days and is already quite familiar with many of Toronto’s pitchers after seven seasons in the organization, though such an acquisition would likely only make sense if the Blue Jays were anticipating being without Kirk for quite some time. If Kirk can return to action in relatively short order, upgrading other parts of the roster such as the starting rotation should surely be a better use of the club’s resources.