ALEJANDRO KIRK NEWS

Ray fans 10, Blue Jays finish 3-game sweep of struggling A's

Robbie Ray struck out 10 while pitching one-hit ball into the seventh inning, Marcus Semien hit his 35th home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 8-0 to comple...

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alejandro Kirk's three-run homer ' 09/05/2021 Alejandro Kirk gives the Blue Jays a 7-0 lead with a three-run dinger to left field

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • MLB.COM

Alejandro Kirk works RBI walk ' 09/03/2021 Alejandro Kirk takes seven pitches from Yusmeiro Petit, earning a walk with the bases loaded and pushing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. across for an...

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 • MLB.COM

Semien hits walk-off HR, Jays rally three times to beat A's

Marcus Semien hit a game-ending three-run homer in the ninth inning after Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a tying grand slam in the eighth, and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied three times to...

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Grichuk breaks tie in 8th, Blue Jays beat Orioles 5-4

Randal Grichuk hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Returns to lineup Kirk will start at catcher and bat sixth Wednesday against the Orioles.

Impact Kirk was on the bench for Tuesday's 4-2 loss, which coincided with Danny Jansen (hamstring) making his return from the 10-day injured list. Though Jansen is the top defender among the three catchers on Toronto's active roster, his underwhelming .635 OPS means he likely won't dominate the playing time behind the plate in September. Look for Kirk and Reese McGuire to remain part of a timeshare at catcher with Jansen until one of the three clearly separates himself from the others in the competition for at-bats.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

2 Jays homers enough for Berríos in 2-1 win over Tigers

José Berríos pitched seven strong innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tigers 2-1, taking two of three in a low-scoring series with Detroit

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rips fourth homer Kirk went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Tigers.

Impact He took Tyler Alexander deep in the sixth inning for the game's first run. Kirk has started six of the last nine games, slashing .318/.360/.545 in 25 plate appearances over that stretch, but Saturday's homer was only his fourth of the year and first since April 30.

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Dickerson's 3 hits lead Blue Jays to 3-2 win over Tigers

Corey Dickerson’s third opposite-field single of the game scored Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 10th inning and gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturd...

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alejandro Kirk's solo dinger ' 08/28/2021 Alejandro Kirk sends an 0-1 to the bleachers in left field for his 4th long ball of the season, getting the Blue Jays on the board in the 6t...

AUGUST 29, 2021 • MLB.COM

Ray fans 14, Kirk gets winning hit, Jays beat White Sox 3-1

Alejandro Kirk broke a tie with an RBI single in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 Wednesday night

AUGUST 26, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cabrera hits 500th career homer, Tigers beat Jays 5-3 in 11

Miguel Cabrera became the 28th major leaguer to hit 500 home runs, Daz Cameron doubled home the winning run in the 11th inning, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-...

AUGUST 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Remains out of lineup Kirk isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Impact Kirk will retreat to the bench for the third time in the last four games as he continues to split time behind the dish. Reese McGuire will start at catcher and bat eighth, and at least for the time being, he may have emerged as the Jays' preferred option over Kirk.

AUGUST 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Alejandro Kirk's RBI single ' 08/17/2021 Alejandro Kirk plates Santiago Espinal with a single to center field

AUGUST 18, 2021 • MLB.COM

Takes seat Tuesday Kirk is not starting Tuesday against the Nationals.

Impact Kirk will take a seat for the second time in three games as Reese McGuire catches Alek Manoah and bats eighth. Kirk has received a relatively even split of the catching duties with McGuire since rejoining the big-league roster in late July, and that seems likely to be the case going forward.

AUGUST 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Earning more playing time Kirk went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Mariners.

Impact Picking up his fourth start in six games, Kirk provided a big two-out, extra-base hit in the third inning to help the Blue Jays dig out of an early 1-0 hole. Given his recent workload, Kirk appears to have moved ahead of Reese McGuire as Option 1A behind the plate for Toronto.

AUGUST 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jays use 4 homers to avoid sweep, top Mariners 8-3

Teoscar Hernández and Randal Grichuk both homered in the second inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays used four long balls to avoid a sweep with an 8-3 win over the Seattle Mariners

AUGUST 15, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

On bench Saturday Kirk will sit Saturday against Seattle.

Impact Kirk has hit .294/.342/.382 in 11 games since returning to the roster in late June. Reese McGuire will start behind the plate in his absence.

AUGUST 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jays use 9-run 5th to beat skidding Red Sox 12-4

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer, Teoscar Hernández had three hits and three RBIs, and the Toronto Blue Jays used a nine-run fifth inning to beat Boston 12-4, handing the sk...

AUGUST 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Remains out of lineup Kirk isn't starting Wednesday's game against Cleveland.

Impact Kirk has recorded hits in each of his last three appearances, but he'll be out of the lineup for the third time in the last four games. Reese McGuire will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

AUGUST 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Tuesday Kirk is not starting Tuesday's game against Cleveland.

Impact Kirk went 1-for-4 with a double and three strikeouts Monday. In six games since rejoining the Blue Jays, he's gone 6-for-19 with two doubles, one walk and no RBI. Reese McGuire will catch and bat ninth Tuesday.

AUGUST 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Resting Sunday Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Impact Kirk will get a breather after he caught both of the Blue Jays' past two games, during which he went 2-for-5 with a walk and a run. Reese McGuire will be behind the dish in the series finale.

AUGUST 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Stuck on bench Thursday Kirk is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Impact Kirk will take a seat for the series finale, allowing Reese McGuire to pick up a start behind the plate. The two backstops have been working in a timeshare since Kirk was called up from Triple-A Buffalo, and that arrangement will likely remain in place until one of the two catchers performs dramatically better than the other.

JULY 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Game 2 Kirk is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox.

Impact Kirk started at catcher and went 0-for-3 in the matinee, and it's no surprise he won't be starting both games of the twin bill. Reese McGuire will work behind the plate and bat ninth in the nightcap.

JULY 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Day off Monday Kirk is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Impact Kirk and Reese McGuire have alternated starts behind the dish since Kirk joined the roster Friday. McGuire will take his turn Monday, but Kirk has gone 3-for-7 with a double in the two games since his return, raising his season OPS to .829 through 19 games, so he's likely to keep earning opportunities.

JULY 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE