Alejandro

Kirk

Kirk was completely locked in all game. His walk-off hit would’ve gone for extra bases in any other circumstance and he wound up with four hard-hit balls all together. He now has multiple hard-hit balls in four of his last six games as he tries to end his season on the right note.

Kirk’s home run was his third of the season. He hit a three-run go-ahead home run off Gregory Soto in the sixth inning. Kirk has a hit in six of his last seven games. He’s hitting .245 with a .647 OPS and 32 RBI on the year.

Kirk is back handling the catching duties after sitting out a pair of contests earlier this week due to a left elbow contusion.

Kirk is presumably day-to-day after being hit by a pitch during Tuesday’s contest against the Orioles.

The home run was just Kirk’s second of the season. He’s hitting only .217 with a .612 OPS and 15 RBI on the season. It was just two years ago that Kirk made the All-Star team and won the Silver Slugger award for catchers, but those days appear to be over.

Jansen went 3-for-7 with a double over the first two games of the series against Tampa Bay, but the team will get the 29-year-old rest whenever they can. Alejandro Kirk is hitting eighth and behind the plate.

Well, that was sorely needed. The home run was actually Kirk’s softest hit ball of the day, leaving the bat at 99.2 mph while he also registered a 103.3 mph single and another 112.9 mph single. The big fly was Kirk’s first of the season, and he’s slashing just .206/.297/.270 with 10 RBI. Now that Danny Jansen is back, Kirk will need more performances like this to keep holding onto regular playing time.

All of the hits were singles, but Statcast said the first would have just eclipsed the wall in right at Yankee Stadium if the wind hadn’t knocked it down a bit. It’s not really like Kirk was robbed, though; the ball would not have been a homer in any other park.

The 25-year-old has multiple hits and at least one RBI in three straight spring games. With the news that Danny Jensen will start the season on the injured list, Kirk will likely see an increased role behind the plate and the Blue Jays hope he can provide more of this offense in the coming weeks. Through nine Spring Training games, Kirk has a 1.193 OPS with 10 hits and six RBI.

It’s a tough break for Jansen, who has shown plenty of promise at the dish for occasional stretches, but has been plagued by injuries the last few years. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that he’ll be sidelined for a couple weeks, but will hopefully return early in the season. His absence should lead to an increase in playing time for Alejandro Kirk and ensures that non-roster invitee Brian Serven makes the season-opening roster.