Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Pops first spring homer
Rotowire
Kirk went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.
The backstop supplied the Blue Jays with their only run off Mitch Keller through the first four innings, lofting a hanging curve to straightaway center field. It was Kirk's first homer of the spring, but he's been making strong contact so far, going 5-for-15 (.333) through seven appearances. His line-drive swing probably won't ever provide consistent power numbers, but Toronto would be happy if Kirk can supply something close to the .285 batting average and .372 OBP he produced in 2022 over 541 regular-season plate appearances.
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Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Set for more work behind plate
Rotowire
Kirk will be counted on to catch more games than ever before in 2025 now that Danny Jansen is no longer a Blue Jay, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
The duo split duties behind the plate each of the past three seasons, and while Kirk set a career high with 541 plate appearances in 2022, much of that playing time came at DH. The 26-year-old has never played more than 99 games at catcher in a season, but he's expected to handle about 120 starts at the position this year. Tyler Heineman and Christian Bethancourt are competing for the backup job in spring training, and neither is suited for Jansen's old tandem role. Kirk's swing mechanics were out of sync early in 2024, but from Aug. 1 on he slashed a respectable .269/.335/.404 with 28 RBI in 44 games, production Toronto would be content with given Kirk's strong pitch framing and defensive skills.
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Avoids arbitration with Toronto
Rotowire
Kirk agreed to a one-year, $4.6 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Kirk will get a $1.8 million raise ahead of the 2025 campaign, which will be his sixth with Toronto. The catcher produced a .253 average with five home runs, 54 RBI and 23 runs scored over 103 games in 2024. Kirk will likely operate as the team's primary catcher again in 2025 with Tyler Heineman set to serve as his primary backup.
Kirk is not in the lineup for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.
Kirk caught the first two games of the series but will get a breather for Sunday's finale. Tyler Heineman is behind the plate as the Blue Jays try to avoid a sweep.
Kirk is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.
Kirk will take a seat for the day game after a night game, opening up room in the lineup for No. 2 catcher Tyler Heineman. Through 12 games in September, Kirk has hit .283 with eight RBI and two runs.
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