The Toronto Blue Jays lost another key player Monday.
Manager John Schneider told reporters that catcher Alejandro Kirk will undergo left thumb surgery Tuesday, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. A timetable for his return will be provided after surgery, per Thomas Hall of Blue Jays Nation.
Kirk left Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox in the 10th inning after a foul tip glanced off his glove hand. The All-Star immediately dropped his glove, grabbed his thumb and left the game with trainers. The reigning American League champions announced Kirk fractured his thumb.
Toronto had a long list of injuries heading into the season and just nine games into the year. Key starting pitchers like Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Shane Bieber started the season on the injured list. Third baseman Addison Barger suffered an injury last weekend, and pitcher Cody Ponce suffered an injury last week.
The Blue Jays signed veteran Patrick Corbin and Japanese pitcher Tomoya Kinjo to help fill the void in the rotation. Tyler Heineman will be relied upon to fill in for Kirk, but it’s possible the AL East club chooses to find another backstop to provide similar value that Kirk brought to the lineup.
It’s a rough start to the season for the Blue Jays, but only the New York Yankees have a record over .500 in the AL East entering Monday’s slate. Schneider will need his remaining stars to hold the fort until Toronto’s key players return from injury.
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