ALEJANDRO KIRK NEWS

Blue Jays' Borucki suspended 3 games for plunking Kiermaier

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki has been suspended for three games by Major League Baseball for intentionally hitting Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier with a pitch

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Out again Thursday Kirk is out of the lineup again Thursday.

Impact The catcher will sit for the second consecutive contest. Over his last 11 games, Kirk has batted .094 with only one home run and two RBI in 32 at-bats. Danny Jansen will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kiermaier hit after scouting report flap; Rays to playoffs

Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch after scooping up a Toronto scouting report two days earlier, and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a postseason berth with a 7-1 victory over the Blue...

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kiermaier shocked by reaction to taking scouting card

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier says he is shocked by reaction to his scooping up a scouting a card that fell out of Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk’s wristband

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting Wednesday Kirk is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Impact Kirk will get a breather for the matinee game after catching both of the first two contests of the series while going hitless across seven at-bats. Reese McGuire will replace Kirk behind the plate.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Manoah helps Blue Jays top Rays 4-2, maintain wild-card spot

Rookie Alek Manoah rebounded from early control issues to last six innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 to improve to a major league-best 1...

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rays' Kevin Kiermaier angers Blue Jays after taking and keeping Alejandro Kirk's data card Tampa's Kevin Kiermaier picked up a data card that belonged to Toronto's Alejandro Kirk but did not give it back when he learned it wasn't h...

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • USATODAY.COM

LEADING OFF: Rays see what's in the cards with Blue Jays

Kevin Kiermaier is playing for keeps -- and the Toronto Blue Jays may not be too keen on what he’s keeping

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rays' Cash apologizes after Kiermaier takes, keeps data card

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash apologized to Blue Jays management a day after Rays veteran Kevin Kiermaier scooped up a scouting data card that fell out of Toronto catcher Alejandro...

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rejoins lineup Kirk will start at catcher and bat sixth Monday against the Rays.

Impact Kirk was on the bench for each of the past three games, but he'll step back in behind the dish to catch Cy Young candidate Robbie Ray in Monday's series opener. Though Kirk remains Toronto's top hitting catcher, Danny Jansen's superior defense may make him the more useful asset for a Blue Jays lineup that already boasts plenty of quality bats. Expect the two to remain part of a timeshare the rest of the way.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting third straight game Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Impact Kirk has a .983 OPS through 12 games in September but finds himself on the bench for the third consecutive contest. Danny Jansen starts Sunday and also worked behind the plate Friday, while Reese McGuire received the nod for Saturday's game.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sits again Saturday Kirk remains on the bench for Saturday's game against the Twins.

Impact The bat-first backstop owns a strong .823 OPS on the season, but he's hit just .125/.250/.250 across his last seven games. He sat in favor of Danny Jansen on Friday and will remain on the bench Saturday, with Reese McGuire taking over behind the plate.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Not in Friday's lineup Kirk is out of the lineup Friday against the Twins.

Impact Kirk is 3-for-23 in his past six games and will head to the bench Friday. Danny Jansen will take over behind the plate for the Blue Jays.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Not in lineup Kirk will sit Tuesday against Tampa Bay.

Impact Kirk has been very impressive at the plate recently, going 9-for-27 with four homers and just three strikeouts over his last seven games, but he'll continue to receive frequent days off like most catchers. Reese McGuire takes over behind the plate Tuesday, catching Jose Berrios.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Rests Sunday Kirk is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Impact Kirk gets the afternoon off after catching seven innings Saturday night, a game in which he went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a walk. Danny Jansen is catching and batting seventh Sunday.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jays overpower Orioles in doubleheader sweep

Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk hit a pair of two-run homers in an 11-run seventh and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-2 on Saturday night to complete a doublehea...

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting for Game 1 Kirk is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

Impact Danny Jansen will start at catcher and bat ninth in the matinee. Look for Kirk to be back in the mix for the nightcap.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Fantasy baseball adds & drops: Alejandro Kirk, Abraham Toro, A.J. Alexy and more top waiver wire targets Scott Engel shares a list of streaking hitters and starters widely available on waivers, primed to help fantasy GMs down the stretch.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Blasts two homers Tuesday Kirk went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and a third run scored in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Yankees.

Impact The 22-year-old got the start at DH while Reese McGuire handled catching duties and Kirk embraced the 'hitter' part of his job description, taking Gerrit Cole the other way in the second inning before capping the scoring in the eighth with a blast off Clay Holmes. Remarkably, even though Kirk has only seven homers on the year, this was his second multi-homer performance, with the other coming April 30 against Atlanta. On the season, the young backstop is slashing .290/.362/.524 through 45 games, and the Jays will likely continue to find ways to get his bat in the lineup as they push for a playoff spot.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Alejandro Kirk's second homer ' 09/07/2021 Alejandro Kirk hammers a solo homer to right-center field, his second of the game and seventh of the year, increasing the Blue Jays' lead to...

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • MLB.COM

Alejandro Kirk's solo homer ' 09/07/2021 Alejandro Kirk belts a solo homer to right field, his sixth of the year, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • MLB.COM

Alejandro Kirk's two homers ' 09/07/2021 Alejandro Kirk smacks two solo homers against the Yankees, his sixth and seventh home runs of the season

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • MLB.COM

Cole hurt, surging Blue Jays power past skidding Yanks 5-1

Marcus Semien homered again, Alejandro Kirk went deep twice and the surging Toronto Blue Jays beat the skidding Yankees 5-1 after New York ace Gerrit Cole exited early with a hamst...

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting for Jansen on Monday Kirk is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Impact Kirk and Danny Jansen clearly appear to be ahead of the Blue Jays' depth chart at catcher ahead of No. 3 option Reese McGuire, who hasn't started since Aug. 29. Meanwhile, Kirk has caught four games since that time, while Jansen will draw his third start at catcher Monday. Look for Kirk and Jansen to remain in a rough timeshare for most of September, though the job battle could tilt more in Kirk's direction if he continues to thrive at the dish.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Productive in rout Kirk went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and two total runs scored in Sunday's 8-0 win over Oakland.

Impact This was the catcher's first multi-hit effort in his last eight games, and he hit just .192 (5-for-26) in that span. Kirk solidified Toronto's lead with his third-inning blast, which was his fifth homer in 44 contests this year. He's added 20 RBI, 14 runs scored, eight doubles and a .275/.350/.467 slash line across 137 plate appearances.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE