The Blue Jays lost another key player to injury.
Alejandro Kirk left Friday’s game against the White Sox in the 10th inning after taking a nasty tip in his glove hand. He quickly dropped his glove, grabbed his thumb, and hustled into the clubhouse with trainers. The team announced after the game that Kirk suffered a broken thumb. No timeline for the return was given. Our injury log suggests hitters who break their thumbs usually return in four to eight weeks, although Kirk broke his thumb on his catching hand, which may require a longer recovery.
It’s the latest major injury for the reigning AL champions, who lost Cody Ponce last week while pitching in a limited role in his first start in the majors since 2021. Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, and Shane Bieber are on the injured list, too, though each is in the “throwing” process of rehab.
Kirk entered 2026 projected by our Depth Charts to be the Blue Jays’ best shortstop and second in the league, with 4.8 WAR. He posted a 4.7 WAR in 2025 with a 116 wRC+ in 506 plate appearances and 22 FRV in 118 games behind the plate. He was the best pitch blocker in the league last year and the second best, behind only Patrick Bailey.
Toronto immediately missed Kirk. Tyler Heineman replaced Kirk behind the plate with the Blue Jays holding a 4-3 lead in the 10th inning and Manfred Mann at third. On the first pitch after halftime, closer Jeff Hoffman got Austin Hays to slide to save the second inning. That brought up Derek Hill, who blasted the first pitch he saw a few feet from the plate. Heineman ducked behind a bunt, picked it up, and threw the ball into right field; the tying run scored on an error and Hill advanced to second.
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Two plays later, Tristan Peters delivered a single to complete the comeback. It was smart baseball-ing on the part of the White Sox, challenging Heineman for a tough play after sitting on the bench for nearly three hours. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team target a player off the bench like that. Maybe it was out of desperation (Hill, with his career 74 wRC+, might not have been expected to get a hit otherwise), but it worked.
Heineman was part of the same snafu the next day. With runners on first and second with two outs, Luisangel Acuña hit a squibber past the pitcher, soft enough to stop the game from starting. Miguel Vargas, who ran second, rounded third hard and got a rundown between third and home. When the ball reached Heineman, he lined up and threw it to left field, allowing two runs to score.
Despite not being good, Heineman is one of the better backups in the league. Like Kirk, he was a top defensive catcher last year, with strong linebacking and blocking numbers. He also held his own with the bat, posting a 120 wRC+ in 174 plate appearances. Heineman, however, has a solid team split, with a career 114 wRC+ against lefties and a career 76 wRC+ against righties.
Brandon Valenzuela replaced Kirk on the active roster and made his major league debut on Sunday. The 25-year-old Valenzuela has a 40-FV chance that ranks 28th in the Blue Jays’ lineup. As Brendan Gawlowski noted in his 2026 report, Valenzuela has a “backup catcher stick,” but he’s a good defender with a strong arm, and intangibles that a team could find attractive as a full-time backup.
Injury wrap
Kirk was far from a great player going down with an injury last week. Let’s talk about the injury news now. We will have separate articles on various injuries listed below:
• Juan Soto went on the disabled list Monday with a calf strain. He woke up early while running the bases on Friday and walked out of the game. The injury was initially described as minor, but he will now be sidelined for at least two to three weeks. This is obviously a huge blow to the Mets. Soto’s impact needs no introduction: Our Depth Charts peg him as the fourth-most WAR in 2026, and he’s one of the best young players ever. Brett Baty figures to get more time in left field with Soto out, though the Mets have a variety of options to cover the corner outfield spots in his absence.
• Mookie Betts was placed on the injured list this weekend after leaving Saturday’s win against the Nationals in the first inning with a right-handed sprain. Dave Roberts said he believes it happened when the check was cashed. The manager didn’t give a timeline for when Betts could return, except to say he believes it could be sooner than the usual four-to-six week absence, with Roberts calling the injury “moderate rather than critical.” Hyeseong Kim was sent back to Triple-A and will split time at shortstop with Miguel Rojas while Betts is out.
• Astros ace Hunter Brown was placed on the injured list Saturday with right shoulder strain. Manager Joe Espada said Brown heard about the issue during his pitching session last week. It’s a quick turnaround for a Houston team that has dealt with injuries in rotation all of last year. Brown was one of the few pitchers who didn’t need a trip to IL in 2025, and he helped keep the Astros in the midseason. There is no timeline for his return. Spencer Arrighetti will probably put in his place.
• Cubs right-hander Cade Horton sat out his second start of 2025 with right arm discomfort. He was placed in IL on Sunday, and is expected to receive photos on Monday; the team will provide an update on his timeline after that. A former top 100 pick, Horton finished as Rookie of the Year in 2025, when he posted a 2.67 ERA, 3.58 FIP, and 2.2 WAR in 118 innings. He opened 2026 as the Cubs’ number. 2 the beginning. Colin Rea will take his turn in the rotation for now.
• The Cubs will have to replace another starting pitcher, at least temporarily. The team announced Monday that Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd will hit the injured list with a left biceps strain. Boyd sounded optimistic that he would only need a little time on the injured list, noting that he would have made it if it hadn’t been for such a rough start to the year. Javier Assad will fill in for now. Along with Horton and Justin Steele, who underwent Tommy John surgery last year, Chicago’s top three pitchers are on the injured list.
• Mike Trout is considered day-to-day after getting hit Sunday and exiting the game early. X-rays revealed that his hand was not broken. Trout said after the game that the swelling in his hand scared him at first, but he was relieved to find out it was just an injury. He expressed frustration with the Mariners beating him twice over the weekend.
• Justin Verlander’s age-43 season is off to a rough start. He was placed on the disabled list Saturday with left hip inflammation. The Tigers recalled Keider Montero from Triple-A, who started Sunday in place of Verlander. The three-time Cy Young winner said the issue started in his season debut last Monday, when he gave up five runs over 3 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks, but overall he didn’t seem too concerned. He told reporters:
“Kind of [around my] The left muscle, it was just working on it. And then it was really painful for the next day or two, but it was trending in the right direction. And so it was like a game of waiting and seeing if you can get good enough. To be honest, I think it’s good enough if we wanted to push it, but [manager] AJ [Hinch] and the front office – and I agree with them – [say] it’s probably not the time of year to do that. And we don’t have a day off to make amends, which is also painful.”
• After Zach Eflin sat out the start of 2026 with right elbow discomfort last week, the Orioles placed him on the injured list. It was his first start in the majors since back surgery last August, marking his third trip to IL in 2025. The timeline of the latest injury is unclear, and Eflin is seeking a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday. The Orioles struggled with starting pitcher depth in 2025 and were banking on Eflin returning to the form he showed after the 2024 trade deadline. Dean Kremer is likely to take his place in the rotation, although Kremer won’t be recalled until April 9 because he was selected at the end of spring training.
• Jordan Lawlar was placed on the injured list after suffering a broken wrist against the Braves on Thursday. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Lawlar, ranked fifth on our Top 100 Prospects list several times in recent years, has dealt with injuries and log jams throughout his professional career, delaying his status as a full-time major leaguer and prompting the Diamondbacks to move him to the field before the start of this season in order to get him regular playing time. The change of position seems to be working; he was off to a hot start in his first 20 games before the injury. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said he assured Lawlar that “his place will be waiting for him” if he is healthy. Meanwhile, Tim Tawa and Jorge Barrosa will get more playing time in left field.
• The Red Sox placed Johan Oviedo on the injured list Friday with a strained right elbow. Manager Alex Cora said Oviedo felt healthy after his first free agency appearance last season in Houston. However, a few days later, Oviedo reported pain and underwent an MRI, which revealed a complication. His fastball velocity was about 2.5 mph lower in his first outing. He will visit Dr. Meister, who performed Tommy John surgery in 2023, to compare last week’s MRI with that of his surgery.
