32 articles
TOR • Catcher • #30
10 days ago
Kirk will be ready to go for Saturday night’s winner-take-all Game 7 showdown to decide the Fall Classic at the Rogers Centre. The 26-year-old backstop appears to have avoided serious injury after being drilled on the left hand by a splitter from Dodgers closer Roki Sasaki while leading off the ninth inning of Game 6.
Source: Shi Davidi
TOR • Catcher • #30
10 days ago
Kirk was plunked in the hand to lead off the ninth inning, and while he wasn’t likely to stay in the game anyway because of lack of speed, he was removed from the contest. It’s likely just a precautionary measure, but this would be a massive loss for Toronto as Kirk has been one of their most important players during their impressive postseason run. If he can’t start, Tyler Heineman would likely be behind the plate.
TOR • Catcher • #30
10 days ago
Kirk was plunked in the hand to lead off the ninth inning, and while he wasn’t likely to stay in the game anyway because of lack of speed, he was removed from the contest. It’s likely just a precautionary measure, but this would be a massive loss for Toronto as Kirk has been one of their most important players during their impressive postseason run. If he can’t start, Tyler Heineman would likely be behind the plate.
TOR • Catcher • #30
14 days ago
Kirk’s fifth round-tripper of the postseason swung the momentum in the early stages of a contest that eventually went nearly seven hours over 18 innings as he took Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow deep in the fourth inning. He also made an incredible throw to cut down Shohei Ohtani attempting to steal second base in the bottom of the ninth inning. The 26-year-old backstop was lifted for a pinch-runner in the 12th inning following a leadoff walk. The Blue Jays will have to regroup and get ready to face Shohei Ohtani in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium in a few hours.
TOR • Catcher • #30
17 days ago
Kirk singled twice, but the big blow was a two-run homer that punctuated the blowout by making it 11-2. The 26-year-old backstop has homered four times in the postseason, and he’s slugging a robust .563 over his dozen games. He’ll hit in the middle of the order again Saturday with a chance for Toronto take a 2-0 lead in the Fall Classic.
TOR • Catcher • #30
26 days ago
Kirk’s homer punctuated the blowout, as it was a three-run shot that gave Toronto a 12-2 lead off Caleb Ferguson. The 26-year-old backstop also singled. He’s homered three times in the postseason, and he’s slugged a solid .586 over his seven playoff games.
TOR • Catcher • #30
about 1 month ago
Kirk did his damage off of Yankees’ right-hander Luis Gil in the second inning, blasting the first pitch of the second inning for a 392-foot (105.2 mph EV) solo shot that extended the Jays’ early advantage to 2-0. He then added some insurance as he led off the eighth inning with a 377-foot (106.0 mph EV) shot off of right-hander Paul Blackburn. In doing so, the 26-year-old backstop became the first Mexican-born player to hit multiple home runs in an MLB postseason game.
TOR • Catcher • #30
about 1 month ago
With the blowout win, the Blue Jays have clinched the AL East and will play the Wild Card Series winner between the Red Sox and Yankees. The 26-year-old gave the Blue Jays an early cushion with a grand slam off Ian Seymour in the first, and a two-run homer in the fifth doubled the Jays’ lead to 8-4. The backstop finishes a solid if unspectacular campaign with 15 homers, 76 RBI and an OPS of .769. He’ll be behind the plate likely everyday for the Jays in October.
TOR • Catcher • #30
about 1 month ago
Kirk led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo homer off Garrett Cleavinger to extend the Blue Jays’ lead. The 26-year-old backstop had a bounce back season in the batting average department, hitting .278/.345/.404 while slugging 13 homers with 70 RBI across 501 plate appearances.
TOR • Catcher • #30
2 months ago
TOR • Catcher • #30
2 months ago
Kirk made it back to Toronto’s lineup following a one-game absence after taking a foul tip off his right hand during Tuesday’s game against the Twins.
TOR • Catcher • #30
3 months ago
Kirk is on the bench for Wednesday’s series finale against the Twins after his right hand swelled up after being struck by a foul tip during Tuesday’s contest. The encouraging news here is that he didn’t suffer any fractures, but he’s probably going to need a few days off for the inflammation to subside.
Source: Arden Zwelling
TOR • Catcher • #30
3 months ago
Kirk’s homer off Colin Holderman left the bat at 108.5 mph. Kirk has three homers in four games and now 10 in 101 games this season. That’s twice as many as he had in 103 games last year. His average is also more than 40 points higher now than it was then (.296 to .253).
TOR • Catcher • #30
3 months ago
Kirk’s home run was his eighth of the season. The 26-year-old catcher hit a two-run shot off Robert Garcia in the seventh inning. Kirk came up again in the eighth inning and his two-run single off Phil Maton gave the Blue Jays a 6-5 lead. He’s hitting .296 with a .758 OPS and 52 RBI this year.
TOR • Catcher • #30
3 months ago
Kirk is back handling the catching duties and batting sixth during Sunday’s series finale against the Royals after missing just over one week with a concussion. The 26-year-old backstop has put together one of the strongest seasons of his career at the plate so far, batting .304/.361/.413 with seven homers and 47 RBI in 346 plate appearances over 88 games.
TOR • Catcher • #30
3 months ago
MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson reports that Kirk could be activated as soon as Sunday, if his start on Saturday goes well. The Blue Jays have said their 26-year-old catcher was “feeling better each day,” and it seems that they’re close to getting him back in the lineup.
Source: Keegan Matheson
TOR • Catcher • #30
3 months ago
It’s a positive update a couple days after Kirk landed on the injured list over the weekend with a concussion. The 26-year-old All-Star backstop doesn’t have a definitive return timetable yet, but it sounds like there’s optimism he’ll be back relatively quickly.
Source: Keegan Matheson
TOR • Catcher • #30
4 months ago
Kirk lands on the injured list after suffering a concussion during Saturday’s game against the Tigers when he took a foul ball off his catcher’s mask. There’s no timetable for the All-Star backstop’s return at this point. Tyler Heineman figures to handle the bulk of the catching duties while he’s sidelined.
TOR • Catcher • #30
4 months ago
Kirk left Saturday’s game against the Tigers after taking a foul ball off his mask. The backstop will likely be out of action Sunday, and he’ll need to pass protocol before he’s able to return behind the plate.
Source: Arden Zwelling
TOR • Catcher • #30
4 months ago
Kirk was shaken up after he was hit in the mask by a foul ball. He’ll likely undergo testing and through the concussion protocol as Toronto will take every precaution with a potential head injury. Tyler Heineman is now behind the plate for the Blue Jays.
TOR • Catcher • #30
4 months ago
It’s nothing more than a routine night off for the 26-year-old backstop after starting each of the team’s last four games behind the dish. Tyler Heineman will do the catching for the Blue Jays and will bat eighth against Reese Olson and the Tigers on Thursday evening in Motown.
Source: MLB
TOR • Catcher • #30
5 months ago
Kirk came off the bench with the bases loaded, and he was credited with two RBI on his single while a third run scored on an error by Steven Kwan. Kirk is now slashing an excellent .313/.358/.433, and if not for the remarkable season from Cal Raleigh in Seattle, you could put him in the conversation for best fantasy catcher in the American League.
TOR • Catcher • #30
5 months ago
He had half of the Jays’ hits in the 9-5 loss. Making a strong bid for his second All-Star appearance, Kirk is 10th in the majors with a .313 average and has seven homers in 61 games this season after hitting five in 103 games last year.
TOR • Catcher • #30
5 months ago
Kirk singled off of Miles Mikolas in the top half of the first and scored on a three-run shot by Andrés Giménez. The 26-year-old backstop then greeted Kyle Leahy with a 402-foot (104.0 mph EV) two-run blast in the seventh inning that made it 8-4. He also singled in the ninth inning and scampered home on a wild pitch with what would prove to be the winning run. Kirk is having a strong season at the dish, slashing .323/.366/.441 with five homers and 31 RBI in his first 213 plate appearances.
TOR • Catcher • #30
5 months ago
The second double plated the go-ahead run in the 10th inning. It’s his seventh career four-hit game and first ever with three extra-base hits. All four of Kirk’s balls in play tonight left the bat at over 95 mph, upping his hard-hit rate to 57.3 percent. That puts him fifth place in the majors, right in between Kyle Schwarber and Aaron Judge. Alas, he’s much further down on the barrels list, which is why he has only four homers.
TOR • Catcher • #30
5 months ago
Kirk’s shot to right-center with Guerrero on second missed being a homer by only a couple of feet, though it officially went as a single. Kirk has driven in runs in four of his last five starts, giving him 24 RBI in 191 plate appearances for the season. His exit velocity numbers are terrific, but since he’s not going to hit many home runs or score many runs or ever in a million years steal a base, he’s a pretty weak choice in one-catcher mixed leagues.
TEX • Catcher • #30
6 months ago
Osuna is in left field and batting sixth on Sunday in his major-league debut. He made a strong impression during spring training after a stellar 2024 campaign in the lower minors. He’ll get his first chance in the majors with veteran DH Joc Pederson hitting the injured list with a fractured hand. The 22-year-old outfielder .279/.386/.416 with 15 extra-base hits and nine steals in 39 games this season between Triple-A Round Rock and Double-A Frisco. His immediate fantasy appeal is limited to AL-only formats. It’ll be interesting to see if he can carve out a role with the Rangers as a fourth outfielder.
TEX • Catcher • #30
6 months ago
Osuna will need to be added to the 40-man roster in order for the promotion to happen. The 22-year-old is one of the top hitting prospects in Texas’ system, and is slashing .279/.386/.414 with two homers and nine stolen bases in his time with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. Osuna offers some long-term upside because of his speed and potential hit tool, but would be a risky fantasy add in the majority of redraft formats.
Source: Daniel Álvarez-Montes
TOR • Catcher • #30
6 months ago
Kirk finished out the inning, but it sounds like after consulting with the training staff the Jays decided to take the cautious approach and give him the rest of the afternoon off. He’ll presumably be put through the concussion protocol just to make sure that he checks all the boxes before returning to action. Tyler Heineman replaced him behind the dish on Sunday and would be in line for more action if Kirk is forced to miss any additional time.
Source: Hazel Mae
TOR • Catcher • #30
6 months ago
Kirk delivered a two-run single off of Logan Allen in the third inning that gave the Jays their first lead of the game at 2-1. He added another pair of singles in the contest as well. With the three-hit effort, the 26-year-old backstop is now hitting .260/.287/.354 on the young season with a pair of homers and 12 RBI.