Breathe in a sigh of relief, Toronto Blue Jays fans.
Red-hot catcher Alejandro Kirk was removed from Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a left hand contusion, but precautionary X-rays came back negative.
The injury occurred in the seventh inning when Brewers batter Jonathan Davis’ bat caught Kirk in the back of his glove hand on a backswing. Kirk stayed in the game for one more batter before exiting the field.
Prior to leaving the game, Kirk continued his torrid pace this season — going 4-for-4 in the batter’s box and hitting a home run for the third consecutive game. He’s just the third catcher in MLB history to have multiple four-hit games with a home run at age 23 or younger, joining Joe Mauer and Thurman Munson.
Kirk, who’s the top catcher in AL All-Star voting, entered Friday’s game slashing .307/.395/.487.
