Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk will take another major step in his recovery from a broken thumb when he begins a rehab assignment with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Alejandro Kirk is starting a rehab assignment tomorrow with Dunedin. He’ll DH, and catch soon after.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) June 2, 2026
Will likely need at least 20 ABs before rejoining the #BlueJays
Kirk, who hasn’t played since April 3, will start off as a designated hitter before getting reps at catcher.
The Blue Jays have missed Kirk’s presence behind the plate and bat all season long as they struggle to get over the .500 mark.
The 27-year-old Mexican had a career season in 2025, hitting .282 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs alongside a .769 OPS and 2.3 WAR.
Tyler Heineman, who served as the team’s backup during their World Series run last year, has struggled at the plate in 2026, hitting just .141 over 29 games.
Rookie Brandon Valenzuela has showed promise, however, as the 25-year-old is hitting .235 with four homers and 10 RBIs over 38 games. He has also played well defensively, nixing eight stolen base attempts.
Entering Tuesday’s action against the Atlanta Braves, the 29-31 Blue Jays are tied with the Texas Rangers for the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Injury updates on Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and others
Blue Jays manager John Schneider provided a handful of updates on the long list of injuries his team has been experiencing.
A slew of #BlueJays injury updates...
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) June 2, 2026
John Schneider: "Actually some positive ones" pic.twitter.com/8pyYVABo8i
Outfielder Jesus Sanchez, who left Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Orioles after being hit with a ball thrown by a fan, is feeling better and will be available for Tuesday’s opener against the Braves, but is not in the starting lineup.
Dylan Cease, who’s on the Injured List with a hamstring problem, threw a bullpen on Tuesday and could be in line for a rehab start with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Thursday.
Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer threw another bullpen on Tuesday and will make his second rehab assignment on Friday in Buffalo. The 41-year-old hasn’t pitched since April 24 due to a forearm injury and sports a 9.64 ERA this season.
Shane Bieber, who hasn’t pitched this season due to an elbow injury, is in line to pitch a rehab assignment with Buffalo later this week after allowing five earned runs over 2.1 innings during a start Sunday in Dunedin.
Outfielder Addison Barger is in Florida working on his hitting and throwing. The 26-year-old has played only nine games in 2026 due to ankle and elbow injuries.
