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buster olney
multiple authors
blue Jays named all-star catcher alejandro kirk He dislocated and broke his left thumb on a foul tip during Saturday’s loss to Toronto on the 10-day injured list. chicago white sox On Friday.
Kirk will meet with a hand specialist on Monday to determine whether surgery is needed, after which a timetable will be established for his return. Given the nature of the injury, it is likely to be a long-term absence.
Kirk was hit on his gloved hand by the errant tip. Catchers often escape with minor injuries during games, but Kirk immediately turned and walked off the field. Toronto manager John Schneider commented after Friday’s game that Kirk’s reaction was worrying.
Schneider said Kirk is handling the injury about as well as you’d expect.
“She’s absolutely fine, like [Kirk] “Maybe,” Schneider said, “obviously he’s upset.” “Definitely tough news for us and for Kirky.”
The 27-year-old Kirk served as the Blue Jays’ catcher as they threw their entire shutout in the Game 7 loss. los angeles dodgers In the World Series. Last season, he hit .282 with 15 homers and earned his second All-Star appearance.
tyler heineman The catcher will likely get a lot of playing time with Kirk out. He is considered one of the best backups, with seven seasons of big league experience, including five seasons with the Blue Jays; He played in 61 games last year and hit .289 with three homers.
rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela Was called up to take Kirk’s place on the roster. He would spend time with Heinemann during Kirk’s absence. Both players are switch-hitters.
“I think it’ll be pretty evenly divided,” Schneider said of the expected distribution of playing time. “It’s not often you get two switch-hitting catchers on your roster. I don’t think I’ve ever had one, but we’ll see how it turns out.”
Schneider said Valenzuela is “a really talented guy who has done a great job in spring training.”
The Blue Jays have already battled injuries this spring with starting pitchers shane bieber, jose barrios And trey yesways Everyone is suffering from hand problems.
The Yesaways had a 44-pitch rehab outing with Single-A Dunedin on Friday night, showing close to normal speed, according to Schneider, who said the next step in his rehab has not yet been determined.
“We need to check in with him today, see how he’s feeling,” Schneider said Saturday. “But he checked every box in terms of pitches and things. So he’s been trending in the right direction for a few weeks. That’s a really good sign, and we’ll see where his next stop is.”
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle contributed to this report.
