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From the moment Alejandro Kirk raced to the dugout in Chicago on Saturday, the Blue Jays catching situation appeared to take a major blow.
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That situation was confirmed on Monday when the team said that one of the team’s most important players was headed for surgery to repair a fractured thumb on his left (catching) hand.
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The Jays won’t know how long they’ll be without Kirk, who is coming off his best season in the majors, but depending on how the surgery and recovery go, it could be as long as two months.
“It could be three to four (weeks), it could be four to six,” manager John Schneider said when he announced the update prior to Monday’s opener of a three-game series World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “We’ll see after the surgery.
“We’re talking about getting back to catching, getting back to hitting.”
Disastrous weekend
The 27-year-old native of Tijuana, Mexico, was nailed on the thumb after a foul tip from the White Sox’s Austin Hays in the 10th inning of Friday’s opener of what would be a disastrous 0-3 weekend for the Jays on Chicago’s south side.
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In his absence, the Jays will look to backup Tyler Heinemann, who had an awful weekend in Chicago and young prospect Brandon Valenzuela, who was called up to take Kirk’s spot on the roster.
There’s no sugar-coating the effects of Kirk’s absence, as Schneider acknowledged on Monday.
“I think Kirky, around the game, is just an underrated player because of what he can do on both sides of the ball, it’s pretty unique,” Schneider said. “Whether it’s contact, home runs, catching, blocking, throwing … we always talk about Kirky’s super power is that he’s just so steady. He never budges.
“And that’s hard to do when you’re back there every day and you’re either working a pitching staff or getting ready for an at-bat. That’s the important part of his position.”
Heineman must step up
In the interim Heineman, who was to catch Max Scherzer in Monday’s opener of the three-game set with the Dodgers, and Valenzuela, who is expected to get the call on Tuesday, will have to do their best to to hold serve.
“The biggest thing is I’ve told (both catchers) that you are not Alejandro Kirk,” Schneider said. “You are your own people and you have to do what you’re good at. It’s tough (looking Kirk) for sure, but we have to have guys step up.”
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