Blue Jays Welcome Back Alejandro Kirk, Lose Daulton Varsho to IL
The Toronto Blue Jays return home Friday looking to gain ground in the American League East when they open a three-game series against the New York Yankees. After spending much of the season shuffling personnel due to injuries, Toronto has been waiting for its roster to finally move closer to full strength.
For weeks, much of the focus had centered on Alejandro Kirk’s recovery. The All-Star catcher has been sidelined since April after suffering a fractured and dislocated thumb, forcing the Blue Jays to patch together the position with Brandon Valenzuela and Tyler Heineman handling the bulk of the workload.
Kirk recently completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo and appeared ready for his long-awaited return.
Ahead of Friday’s matchup against New York, the Blue Jays made it official. Kirk was reinstated to the active roster and is set to rejoin the lineup after more than two months away from the major league club. To create roster space, Toronto designated Heineman for assignment.
The encouraging news, however, was accompanied by a fresh setback. The Blue Jays also announced that outfielder Daulton Varsho has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Varsho had been battling wrist discomfort and missed time earlier this month, and despite initial optimism surrounding his condition, the club ultimately decided he needed additional time to recover.
Kirk’s return arrives at a crucial moment for Toronto. While he appeared in only five games before suffering a fractured thumb in early April, the Blue Jays were counting on him to build on a strong 2025 campaign in which he hit .282 with a career-high 15 home runs and 76 RBI across 130 games.
The loss of Varsho, meanwhile, leaves another hole for Toronto to navigate. One of the team’s most versatile defenders, Varsho provides value across all three outfield spots while bringing power and speed to the lineup when healthy. His absence will likely create additional opportunities for the Blue Jays’ outfield depth as the club looks to keep pace in a tightly contested division race.
First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. Toronto enters the matchup at 33-36 and third in the division, with Trey Yesavage (2-3, 3.16 ERA) set to take the mound. The Yankees, who sit second in the AL East at 41-26, are expected to counter with Ryan Weathers (2-4, 3.86 ERA).
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
MLB free-agent rankings: Tarik Skubal still No. 1 amid class full of underperforming pitchers and lacking elite position players
This is such an odd free-agent class, and somehow, it’s getting only odder.
Tons of pitching, no clear elite position player and the uncertainty of the impending lockout made this group quite unique heading into the 2026 MLB season. And over the past month, many of those exciting arms have struggled (Trevor Rogers, Kris Bubic, Shota Imanaga) or missed time (Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Ryan Helsley).
For now, we’re left with a class in flux, one with more questions than answers. Regardless, we march on.
Notes: Whenever you see a number, a slash and another number, that’s a reference to contract years and total earnings. For instance, the shorthand for Bryce Harper’s 11-year, $330 million deal would be “11/330.” Ages listed below are for the 2027 season.
Our first rankings were released just days before Skubal went down with an elbow injury. Even though the two-time Cy Young hasn’t thrown a pitch since April 29, he’s still the clear choice for the top spot. That’s even more true considering how shockingly quickly Skubal is returning to the mound. The Tigers’ ace underwent revolutionary elbow surgery on May 6 and is set to make his first start back on Saturday. It has been a remarkable recovery for a remarkable pitcher.
How crisp Skubal looks upon his return and how the Tigers fare over the next month will be the two biggest factors in determining whether Skubal gets dealt at the trade deadline. Detroit, currently 11 games under .500 and 5.5 games adrift of a wild card, has been playing a touch better of late. If Skubal’s arrival supercharges a hot stretch, it could go a long way toward putting all that trade chatter to bed.
Like most things Mets, Peralta has underwhelmed so far this season. He hasn’t been dreadful by any means, but the Dominican righty was acquired by New York over the winter to be its ace. And Peralta has very much not been that. His fastball velocity is down a full tick from 2025, he has a career-low strikeout rate, and his walk rate is his highest since 2019. Peralta’s track record is strong enough to avoid going full panic mode right now, but another mediocre month could push him down this list.