Kirk (hand) will start at catcher and bat sixth Saturday in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers.

Kirk made an early exit from Game 6 on Friday after getting hit on his left hand by a pitch. X-rays on his hand came back negative shortly after the game, and he'll officially remain in the starting nine for the final game of the World Series. Kirk has slashed .265/.361/.482 with five homers, 13 RBI and 13 runs scored across 77 plate appearances this postseason.

Kirk will undergo X-rays on his left hand after getting hit by a pitch in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kirk took an 85-mph splitter off his hand in the ninth inning of Friday's contest and was immediately replaced on the bases by a pinch runner. The Jays are optimistic that the 26-year-old backstop avoided a significant injury, but they'll send him in for imaging as a precaution. If Kirk is unable to start in the final game of the World Series on Saturday, Tyler Heineman would get the nod at catcher.

Alfaro elected to become a free agent Friday.

The Nationals removed Alfaro from their 40-man roster, and the veteran catcher declared free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment. Alfaro slashed .256/.256/.308 in 14 games with the Nats this season and will likely have to settle for a minor-league contract this winter.

The Tigers re-signed Nido to a minor-league contract Thursday with an invitation to spring training.

Nido finished the 2025 season with the Tigers after stops with the Mets and Cubs. A career .215/.249/.310 hitter over parts of nine big-league seasons, the 31-year-old Nido is slated to begin the 2026 season as experienced catching depth at Triple-A Toledo.

Stubbs cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester.

Stubbs played in his first career MLB game in 2025, though most of his time was spent in the minors, where he slashed .169/.293/.316 across 266 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. The Nationals already have four other catchers on their 40-man roster, so Stubbs will end up as the odd man out and likely open 2026 as organizational depth.

Kirk went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and two walks Monday in a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series.

Kirk came through in the top of the fourth inning by hammering a three-run home run off of Tyler Glasnow to put the Blue Jays up by a run. Kirk also delivered a perfect strike to mow down Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the ninth inning on an attempt to steal second base, which would have moved the winning run into scoring position. Kirk is putting together a strong series thus far, now 5-for-10 with a pair of home runs, six RBI and four runs scored.

Delay and the Red Sox agreed on a minor-league contract Sunday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

Delay with join the Red Sox organization after spending the majority of the 2025 season with Triple-A Gwinnett, batting .219 with eight doubles, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored over 192 at-bats in 59 games. The catcher last appeared in the big leagues in 2024 while with the Pirates, and he'll look to impress with Boston in an attempt to get another crack at the major-league level in 2026.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a home run and three total RBI in a 5-1 victory over Toronto in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday.

Smith drove in over half of the Dodgers' runs to help his team tie the series. His first RBI came on a two-out single in the first inning, and the All-Star catcher then stopped Kevin Gausman's run of retiring 17 straight batters with a solo blast in the seventh to unknot a 1-1 stalemate. Smith also plated the final run of the contest with a fielder's choice groundout in the eighth frame. Through two World Series games, he's gone 3-for-7 with a walk and four RBI.

Contreras will visit a hand specialist next week to determine whether he needs surgery to repair a fractured left middle finger, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Contreras was diagnosed with a fractured finger back in early May but played through the injury for most of the season. It likely contributed to a relatively disappointing offensive season, as Contreras finished with a .260/.355/.399 batting line with 17 home runs. If he does wind up undergoing surgery, Contreras' availability for the beginning of spring training should not be affected.

Maldonado announced his retirement from baseball via his personal Instagram account Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Maldonado first saw major-league action in 2011 with Milwaukee and proceeded to play the next 15 years in the big leagues with the Angels, Astros, Cubs, Royals, White Sox and Padres. He won a Gold Glove in 2017 with the Angels and played a key role with the Astros during their World Series run in 2022. Maldonado will hang up his cleats and end his career with a .203/.277/.343 slash line with 119 home runs and 384 RBI across 1,231 regular-season games in the majors.