At last, the Toronto Blue Jays are getting closer to a near-complete picture of health.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk is nearing a return to the Blue Jays’ lineup since suffering a thumb injury in April and could return this week if things break right, manager John Schneider told reporters Monday.
According to Schneider, Kirk is set to line up at designated hitter at triple-A on Tuesday then play catcher in the coming days, and the best-case scenario would be a Friday return against the New York Yankees.
Kirk is working back to the Blue Jays after fracturing his thumb in an early April game against the Chicago White Sox. Before going down with the injury, he slashed .150/.227/.350 with one home run through his first five games of the season.
In three games with single-A Dunedin on a rehab assignment, the 27-year-old has batted .222 with a .920 OPS and hit a home run in his first game back in action.
He had one start at catcher and two at DH in his three single-A rehab appearances.
Kirk enjoyed one of his most productive seasons in the majors in 2025, batting .282 with a .769 OPS and 15 home runs over 130 games.
