DETROIT -- If there’s one player the Blue Jays couldn’t afford to lose late this season, it’s Alejandro Kirk.
The Blue Jays’ All-Star catcher left Saturday’s game against the Tigers in the fourth after taking a foul tip off the mask in the inning prior and is being evaluated for a concussion following Toronto's 6-1 win. Kirk has been incredibly durable on top of his great numbers this season, but beyond him, the Blue Jays’ catching depth is thin.
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 came into Saturday batting .337 with a .902 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.”
Down in Triple-A, the Blue Jays have Ali Sánchez, who would likely be next in line after he got some playing time earlier in the season when Heineman hit the 7-day concussion IL. 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 eight-year MLB veteran who is batting just .182.
With the July 31 Trade Deadline just days away, Kirk missing any amount of time would clearly skyrocket the catching position up the Blue Jays’ list of needs, which is a difficult market to shop in given the scarcity of big league talent available.
The Blue Jays should know more Sunday, but if there’s even a small chance of Kirk missing additional time, they’ll likely mobilize one of their catchers from Triple-A to have in Detroit as insurance.