Blue Jays Announce Unfortunate News on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Apr 6, 2026 4:23 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have been riddled with injuries to begin the 2026 season. Four potential starting pitchers for Toronto began the year on the injured list in Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios. To add to this, in the first ten games of the season, starting catcher Alejandro Kirk took a foul tip off the hand, sending him to the IL.

Kirk is in his seventh season with the Blue Jays after a phenomenal showing in the 2025 postseason, which helped Toronto reach the World Series. During last year's playoffs, Kirk batted .254 with an OPS of .842, totaling five home runs and 13 RBIs in 18 games.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) against the Los Angeles Dodgers.© John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Through five games this year, the 27-year-old catcher had a slow start, going 3-for-20 at the plate with one long ball and two runs driven in.

In Friday's loss to the Chicago White Sox, Kirk had a foul tip go off his left thumb, and he was immediately removed from the game. After undergoing X-rays, it was revealed that he suffered a fracture in his thumb, which forced Toronto to put him on the 10-day IL.

On Monday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealed some more unfortunate news for Kirk, as he announced that the Mexican-born catcher will undergo surgery on Tuesday to treat his injured thumb.

"News: Alejandro Kirk to have left thumb surgery tomorrow. #BlueJays," said MLB.com reporter Keegan Matheson.

News: Alejandro Kirk to have left thumb surgery tomorrow. #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 6, 2026

Schneider did not provide a timetable for Kirk's return as of yet, but it is likely that this surgery will require him to be out for an extended period of time.

Kirk is coming off a 2025 season where he played 130 games for the division-winning Blue Jays. However, with their 4-5 start to the year, including losing each of their past four games, this news is devastating to Schneider and the rest of the Blue Jays.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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