The Toronto Blue Jays felt the absence of catcher Alejandro Kirk over two months of the regular season. Kirk has since returned and is playing extremely well over his last 21 games, owning a .316 batting average, .393 on-base percentage and .900 OPS with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
Kirk played just five games before going down back in April with a left thumb injury that required surgery. Without him, not only did Toronto’s offense fail to produce runs consistently, but they lost his elite framing ability behind the plate.
It was a big reason why the first half was so underwhelming for the Blue Jays, as they did not have enough depth behind him to fill the gap aside from Brandon Valenzuela.
Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals with Toronto looking to secure its fourth straight win, the team made a depth move, announcing they had claimed catcher Shawn Ross off waivers from the New York Mets. Ross was immediately optioned to Triple-A.
When Kirk was activated from the injured list months ago, the Blue Jays decided to trade third-string catcher Tyler Heineman to the Los Angeles Angels and have not had a clear third option since. Ross should provide that depth even if he does not make it to the big-league club this year.
Ross is a right-handed catcher who has appeared in two games this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, homering once with two RBIs, signaling he has some pop in his bat.
The 26-year-old will continue developing in the minor leagues, giving Toronto a legitimate third catching option on the 40-man roster as they make their postseason push.
