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By Shaun McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Toronto Blue Jays continue to be plagued by injuries early on in the season, announcing Saturday on X that the team placed two-time All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list with a fractured thumb.
Kirk exited the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday in the 10th inning following a foul tip from Austin Hays that clipped the bottom of his glove. The 27-year-old immediately left the field with the training staff to figure out the severity of the injury.
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The Blue Jays have not provided an estimate on how long Kirk will remain out of action, but with the nature of his injury and his position, it is likely the star catcher could be in for an extended absence.
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Losing Kirk for any period of time will put a lot of pressure on the Blue Jays' lineup. The two-time All-Star slashed .282/.348/.421 last season, setting career highs with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs, and it will be difficult for Toronto to replicate that production with Kirk out.
Toronto has been dealing with plenty of injuries already this season, primarily with pitchers, as Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios and Trey Yesavage all opened the season on the injured list. Cody Ponce joined the other hurlers on the injured list after being carted off the field with an ACL sprain in his season debut, but Kirk's injury is the first major blow to the Blue Jays' starting lineup.
Tyler Heineman will likely take on the bulk of the playing time at catcher with Kirk out, but Toronto did call up Brandon Valenzuela to take the injured catcher's place on the roster for now.
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