Alejandro Kirk’s strong spring continued Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Toronto Blue Jays starting catcher went deep for his first home run of the spring while facing Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller in the second inning, destroying a first-pitch, middle-middle slider that hit off the batter’s eye beyond the centre-field wall.

Kirk has enjoyed an impressive performance in camp thus far, generating plenty of hard contact almost every time he’s stepped to the plate. It’s an element of his game that hasn’t been as prominent in recent seasons, as he’s combined for a hard-hit rate below 40 per cent since 2023 compared to his 45.5 per cent clip from 2021-22.

Overall, the 26-year-old delivered career lows across the board at the plate in ’24, only mustering five home runs and 54 RBIs while slashing .253/.319/.359 in 103 games. He also posted a disappointing 94 wRC+, placing six per cent below league average.

But as much as Kirk struggled, the right-handed-hitting backstop picked up the slack after the Blue Jays traded Danny Jansen to the Boston Red Sox on July 27, finishing with a much-improved slash line of .288/.349/.418 and a 121 wRC+ over his final 48 contests.

Kirk popped out to third base during his second trip to the plate against the Pirates, swinging underneath a hanging sweeper from Keller for the first out of the fourth inning. He was behind the plate for Kevin Gausman’s spring debut, which lasted an inning and two-thirds.