Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk to have thumb surgery, timeline still unclear

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed on Monday that Alejandro Kirk will have an operation on his fractured left thumb on Tuesday.

"We'll know the timeline after the surgery," Schneider said.

Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling added that John Schneider specified Kirk's surgery is to address his fracture, not ligament damage.

The injury occurred during Friday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox.

In the 10th inning, Kirk was struck on the hand by a foul tip while catching behind the plate.

The play resulted in both a dislocated thumb and a fracture near the knuckle.
Kirk was placed on the 10-day injured list the following day, with rookie catcher

Branon Valenzuela called up from Triple-A Buffalo to take his place on the roster.

Through five games this season, Kirk had struggled at the plate, posting a .150/.227/.350 slash line with one home run.

The seven-year MLB veteran is coming off his second career All-Star campaign in 2025, when he recorded a .769 OPS and hit 15 home runs over 130 games.

In other Blue Jays injury updates, Schneider said that starting pitcher Cody Ponce is meeting with doctors in Los Angeles on Monday to determine the next steps for his knee injury. An update on his condition is expected Tuesday.

Ponce sustained a right ACL sprain in his first start of the season after falling while chasing a ground ball. He had to be carted off the field following the incident.

Meanwhile, Trey Yesavage is scheduled to make another Single-A rehab start with the Dunedin Blue Jays on Thursday.

Recovering from shoulder impingement, Yesavage made his first rehab appearance on Friday.

He allowed one run on one hit — an inside-the-park home run — while striking out three and walking one over 2.2 innings against the Bradenton Marauders, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate. He threw 44 pitches in total, 30 of which were strikes.

That outing triggered a 30-day window for the right-hander to return to the majors, though the Blue Jays are uncertain if he will require the full duration.

Lastly, pitchers Jose Berrios, Yimi Garcia, Shane Bieber, and Patrick Corbin are all scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays and Corbin are still determining where his next outing will take place.

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