Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk discusses busy Spring Training workload

The Toronto Blue Jays’ starting backstop is juggling a packed schedule in Dunedin — building chemistry with newly acquired arms Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, fine-tuning his swing, and adjusting to the latest tweaks to Major League Baseball’s rules.

And he’s doing it all on a tight timeline, with plans to join Team Mexico for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on March 1.

“A lot of reps, obviously a lot of communication, especially in the games,” Kirk said through team translator Hector Lebron. “Trying to talk to the new pitchers.
“But definitely I’ll try to do a lot of reps with them, a lot of talking, a lot of communication before I head to the WBC.”

Kirk seemed to be everywhere at the Blue Jays Player Development Complex in Dunedin on Friday.

He spent time in the bullpen catching sessions for Cease and Ponce, then moved to a nearby field to take live batting practice.

Beyond his on-field responsibilities, Kirk also sat in on meetings, caught up with teammates in the clubhouse, and made time for media availability — a full workload for a player still weeks away from Opening Day.

Toronto’s 2025 campaign ended in heartbreak with a Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Kirk said he allowed himself just one month to recharge before turning his focus toward 2026.

“It’s a long season, but the best thing I did was to come down here in December to prepare for spring,” Kirk said outside the major-league clubhouse. “We had a good plan back in December, and then went back to Tijuana. “I did everything then to prepare myself for now, and I’m feeling great right now, physically.”

Manager John Schneider said the plan is for Kirk to appear in four or five exhibition games before departing for international duty.

The priority in those outings will be working closely with Cease and Ponce — even if it requires travel during Grapefruit League play.

“Catching their sides, catching their lives, I think, is beneficial for him,” Schneider said, noting Kirk didn’t catch during Berrios’s live session because of their established rapport. “We’re going to try to do as much as we can.
“He’s got to do some homework on these guys too and have conversations with him.”

Now entering his seventh major-league season and already a two-time All-Star, Kirk approaches new pitching relationships with curiosity and preparation.

“I would like to know what they know about their tendencies, what they like to do, and of course, then we go about our game planning with each hitter,” he said. “I like to know the way they like to work, what they like, what they don’t like, and that way, I make sure that we are on the same page.”

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