The first pitch of Friday evening’s contest against the New York Yankees was an outside four-seamer from right-hander Trey Yesavage that was called a ball. Kirk immediately initiated an ABS challenge and it was promptly overturned, putting Trent Grisham down 0-1 in the count.
Then, a few minutes later, the impact continued when Kirk scorched an RBI double to left centre field to open the scoring.
It was quite the announcement from Kirk in his first big-league action since fracturing his left thumb on April 3, just five games into the Blue Jays’ season. Because of his two-way contributions and importance to the pitching staff, Kirk is among the most important players on the team. His absence was undoubtedly a factor in the club’s 33-36 record entering play on Friday.
And, as far as impact goes, Kirk return has already had a ripple effect on the Blue Jays’ roster and will alter the lineup configuration over the coming days.
Kirk’s activation from the injured list on Friday arrived amid a flurry of roster moves. Daulton Varsho was placed on the 10-day IL with left wrist inflammation and Davis Schneider was recalled from triple-A, while catcher Tyler Heineman was designated for assignment.
“Tough convo with Heiney,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “But tough business that we’re in.”
Heineman will pass through waivers and will be available to the 29 other teams. If he’s not claimed, the 34-year-old could elect to become a free agent. Should that happen, though, Schneider said Heineman would likely choose to remain with the organization.
“He gets it. He’s been through it before,” said Schneider. “He was great last year. We all love him. He’s one of my favourite guys. The guys love him in there, but he understands the business part of it.”
The decision to cut Heineman was made easier by the development of catcher Brandon Valenzuela, who’s been one of the Blue Jays best hitters of late. The rookie has excelled defensively while his seven home runs are tied for second on the team.
It was clear Valenzuela simply couldn’t be sent down to triple-A, even though doing so and keeping Heineman, who has produced excellent defensive metrics despite struggling with the bat, would have preserved organizational catching depth.
“It’s tough when you want to keep as much depth as you can, right?” said Schneider. “But when a guy’s playing really well, it’s tough to do that. It’s tough to say, ‘Go away.’ You know what I mean? So, the performance dictates a lot.”
Now, the challenge for Schneider will be finding playing time for the switch hitter.
Valenzuela will likely see plenty of time behind the plate over the next seven to 10 days as Kirk gradually increases his workload. However, once Kirk is fully built up, the Blue Jays will have to be creative to get Valenzuela in the lineup. While he’s logged 524.1 innings at first base in the minors, Schneider said the Blue Jays prefer to keep him in the catcher’s role.
When Valenzuela is behind the plate, Kirk could potentially slide in as the designated hitter, and Schneider said he’s not opposed to having both players in the lineup on the same day.
“We’ve done that before,” said the manager. “It’s not ideal, but I think if they’re both swinging the bat the way they’re capable, yeah, we could do that.”
George Springer, the incumbent DH, has been practising in the outfield lately and could be an option to play there, a move that would create further lineup flexibility. Springer, 36, hasn’t manned the outfield this season, but has spent most of his career in either right or centre field.
Kirk collected three hits in his first three at-bats on Friday, the type of contribution the Blue Jays hope can “rub off” on the rest of the team’s hitters.
“I think the typical at-bat quality, there’s always a domino effect,” Schneider said before the game. “Like when (Nathan Lukes) came back and it puts guys in different spots a little bit, and it just diversifies your lineup a little bit.
“(Kirk is) so steady on both sides of the ball,” he continued. “When we’re at our best, everyone’s kind of doing their part and feeding off one another and I think it’s really good to have that at-bat in our lineup.”