The injury bug has taken another victim, and for how long remains the looming question.

Injuries have already become a major storyline around the Toronto Blue Jays’ 2026 season as they’re about to play a rather pivotal 10th game of the year to kick off this week’s World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers — and they’ll do so without All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk.

Kirk, of course, suffered a fractured left thumb on a foul tip in Chicago over the weekend and is now set to miss extended time, as the club announced prior to first pitch on Monday.

Following Monday’s visit with Dr. Graham in Lehigh Valley, PA., manager John Schneider revealed that Kirk will soon undergo surgery to repair his fractured thumb. The Blue Jays will have a better idea of his recovery timeline once he’s through the procedure.

The good news is that Kirk seems to have avoided any ligament damage, though he may need to have a pin or two inserted during surgery to help stabilize his broken bone. Whether that could push his return from 2-3 weeks to more like 4-6 or longer will be determined then.

In the meantime, Schneider expects playing time to be close to an even split between Tyler Heineman, who’ll catch Max Scherzer in Monday’s opener versus the Dodgers, and rookie Brandon Valenzuela.

After throwing 2.2 innings (three ups) and 44 pitches with Single-A Dunedin last Friday, Trey Yesavage’s next rehab outing is scheduled for Thursday in Port St. Lucie (New York Mets affiliate), where he’ll be aiming for around four innings and 60-65 pitches, per Schneider.

The 22-year-old starter, who’s gradually building up after being slowed by a right shoulder impingement at the start of spring training, threw a side session at the player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., on Monday. He’ll continue to receive an extra day of rest between starts as the club builds him up cautiously this month.

We’re still in the baby steps stage here, but assuming all goes well, Yesavage could advance to Triple-A Buffalo in the next week or two before sliding back into Toronto’s rotation.

At the time of Schneider’s pre-game media availability, which usually happens around 4 p.m. ET inside his office at the Rogers Centre for home games, the team didn’t have an update regarding Cody Ponce’s visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Word on that is expected to arrive before Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers.

From there, the Blue Jays will learn whether Ponce will have a chance to return later this season or direct his attention to 2027.

José Berríos (elbow), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Yimi García (elbow) will all throw bullpen sessions at the PDC on Tuesday, according to Schneider. Berríos, who pitched in live batting practice over the weekend, will likely throw at least one more of those before returning to game action.

García is still going through what the Blue Jays skipper described as a “regular spring training” workload, meaning he’s still multiple weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment. He’ll first need to throw another few sides and a couple of live BP sessions before advancing further.

For now, the Blue Jays are holding their breath that they can avoid sending another player to the IL, as Addison Barger recovers from discomfort in both of his ankles. He was limping around the clubhouse pre-game and likely won’t be available off the bench after being absent from Monday’s starting lineup.

Super utility player Tyler Fitzgerald — acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Saturday — has been added to the taxi squad after being brought up from Triple-A Buffalo. He’ll be the corresponding move if Barger ends up missing more than a day or two, but Schneider expects to learn more about the lefty slugger’s status post-game.

With all the focus on this three-game series versus the Dodgers, there are still some things to iron out before the Blue Jays finalize their pitching plans for the remainder of this week. Eric Lauer could be bumped up to Friday’s opener, though that’ll depend on whether he needs an extra recovery day from the illness he, as well as many of his teammates, are currently battling.

Given that a pair of off-days (Apr. 9, 13) are coming up, the club doesn’t necessarily need a fifth starter again until midway through their next road trip. So, in theory, they could keep everyone on regular rest to avoid using another bullpen day — or possibly calling up veteran Patrick Corbin, signed to a one-year, $1 million contract last week.

Corbin, who’s throwing a side session on Tuesday at the PDC, checked all the boxes in his ’26 season debut with Single-A Dunedin, most notably the five innings and 74 pitches (54 strikes) he threw during his nine-strikeout, one-run (unearned) start. But it’s not clear yet if he’ll need another minor-league start or two.

Jumping straight to the majors after just one outing against teenagers, whom Corbin also faced in Jupiter, Fla., before signing with the Blue Jays, might be too extreme right away. He may need one more minor-league start beforehand. The 36-year-old veteran, however, will likely lead the way on that decision.

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