WELCOME BACK, ALEJANDRO KIRK💣 The @BlueJays rehabbing backstop leaves the yard in his first game for Dunedin!
Blue Jays: Alejandro Kirk slugs home run in first rehab game
Photo credit: © Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Jun 4, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 4, 2026, 05:04 EDT
Alejandro Kirk has officially returned to game action.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ catcher appeared in a live game for the first time since April 3, when Kirk fractured his left thumb on a foul tip during a 5-4 loss against the Chicago White Sox.
Kirk occupied the designated hitter spot and batted third in the Dunedin Blue Jays’ lineup during the Wednesday night contest against the Daytona Tortugas. Kirk finished the night by going 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk before being removed before his at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
In Kirk’s first plate appearance, he worked a five-pitch walk after not being forced to swing the bat. Tortugas starter Mason Morris attacked Kirk with cutters and four-seam fastballs but was unable to entice the two-time All-Star.
The 27-year-old returned to lead off the bottom of the third, and made Morris pay. After falling behind 1-2 in the count, Kirk worked it back to full and drove a 3-2 slider over the right field fence for a home run and pushed the D-Jays’ lead to 2-0.
Morris was able to win the battle in Kirk’s third at-bat. Kirk fell behind 0-2, and ended up grounding out to second base on an 86.6 mph cutter. Kirk was then pinch-hit for by Canadian Sam Shaw after an evening in which he saw 14 pitches.
Getting Kirk back to the big-league club will be vital for the Blue Jays’ offence, which has failed to receive consistent production for much of the season. Prior to going down with the injury, Kirk was batting .150 with one home run and two RBIs over his first 20 at-bats.
The plan is for Kirk to start with the D-Jays behind the plate on Thursday, before receiving an off day on Friday. Kirk will play the weekend in Dunedin before moving to Buffalo for the next step in his rehab process. Speaking to the media on Tuesday prior to the series opener against the Atlanta Braves, manager John Schneider stated Kirk would require around 20 at-bats before being ready to return.
Right-handed reliever Yimi García also made an appearance during the D-Jays 4-2 win on Tuesday. García picked up a hold after tossing a scoreless seventh inning in which he walked one and struck out one.
García required 14 pitches (seven strikes) and topped out at 96 MPH with his four-seam fastball on Tuesday. He originally began a rehab assignment with the Florida Coast League Blue Jays in early May but was shut down after experiencing soreness after making two appearances.
The 35-year-old’s last appearance at the MLB level came on July 2, 2025. Following that outing, García was placed on the injured list and ended up undergoing season-ending surgery on his right elbow in September of 2025.
Before the injury, García had a 1-2 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 21 innings. García had held opposing batters to a .171 average against and struck out 25 batters across his 22 games. García’s return will give Schneider another high-leverage reliever in the Blue Jays’ bullpen.
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