Kirk (concussion) placed on IL after taking foul tip off mask

DETROIT -- If there’s one player the Blue Jays couldn’t afford to lose late this season, it’s Alejandro Kirk.

Sunday, the Blue Jays placed Kirk on the 7-day IL with a concussion, one day after he left the Blue Jays’ 6-1 win over the Tigers. Kirk had taken a hard foul tip off his mask early in the game, and while he finished out the inning, he soon reported symptoms and was immediately evaluated.

“He was feeling better today than he was yesterday,” manager John Schneider said after Toronto’s 10-4 loss on Sunday. “He still had a few symptoms, so he’ll stay with us and rest up. You never really know with a concussion, and we don’t want to take any chances, obviously.”

Kirk has been incredibly durable in his first season as the true starter, no longer splitting the duties with longtime batterymate Danny Jansen, but Toronto’s depth beyond Kirk is thin. Ali Sánchez has been recalled from Triple-A, his second stint with the Blue Jays this season, but any IL stint this close to the July 31 Trade Deadline is major news.

In a perfect world, Kirk will only need the minimum stay on the IL, but concussions are difficult to project and the recovery can never be rushed. The Blue Jays will need to prepare themselves for any outcome here. Toronto’s bullpen is a top priority in the coming days while a controllable starter or significant offensive upgrade would fit well, too, but the Kirk news likely opens the Blue Jays to the catching market, as well, with the Trade Deadline on Thursday.

Kirk doubled in his first at-bat of the game off Tarik Skubal, who looked as unhittable as ever Saturday night, which raised his average to .304 with a .774 OPS. Add to that Kirk’s strong pitch framing, elite blocking and his control of the run game, and he’s reemerged as one of the best catchers in baseball at 26, having signed a five-year, $58 million extension just prior to the season.

Tyler Heineman has served admirably as Kirk’s primary backup this season and is batting .330 with a .889 OPS, both miles above his career numbers at age 34. There’s some good fortune in there, including a .397 BABIP, but Heineman’s job is to keep the ship afloat when Kirk needs a breather, and he’s done more than that through the first four months.

After Heineman stepped in unexpectedly, starter Kevin Gausman was quick to praise his batterymate for the job he did after Gausman pitched six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts.

“When I knew I was done, that’s the first thing I did,” Gausman said. “I went and told him how impressive it was. Kind of a crazy day. He wasn’t even in our meeting. Usually he is, so of course, the day that he’s not in there, something happens to Kirky, and he has to go in. Hats off to him. He was ready and prepared.”

Sánchez was hitting .279 with a .766 OPS for the Buffalo Bisons entering this weekend, and the Blue Jays also have Christian Bethancourt down in Triple-A, the 8-year MLB veteran who is batting just .182.

There’s no replacing Kirk, though, who has a legitimate case as the MVP of the team with the best record in baseball. Things move quickly at this time of year, though, so the coming days -- which will rely heavily on the Blue Jays’ medical evaluation of Kirk -- just got more interesting.