All-star catcher Alejandro Kirk will return to the lineup on Sunday, batting sixth and backstopping right-hander Chris Bassitt.
Manager John Schneider said that Kirk was scheduled to play in another rehab game with the Bisons as the DH on Saturday, but they opted to bring him to Toronto instead.
Infielder Leo Jiménez has been optioned to triple-A Buffalo to make room on the roster.
The 26-year-old has a .304 average and .775 OPS with seven home runs and 47 RBIs this season. His plus-15 fielding run value is tied with Patrick Bailey for first among catchers per Statcast.
Kirk has missed the last seven games after he took a hard foul ball off the mask and was subsequently placed on the 7-day concussion injured list following a 6-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on July 26.
Over that span the Blue Jays are 2-5 but remain atop the American League with a 65-47 record.
Kirk’s return comes just one day after backup catcher Tyler Heineman was removed during Toronto’s 4-2 win over the Royals on Saturday.
He also took a foul tip off the mask, suffering a head contusion, but was not feeling any concussion symptoms, Schneider said after the game.
Heineman remained in the game for his at-bat in the fourth, but was pulled after being hit by a pitch and coming around to score on a sacrifice bunt and a Davis Schneider single.
“He wanted to keep going, felt like he could keep going, and unfortunately, you gotta take it out of their hands sometimes,” Schneider said of Heineman’s resilience after making that play on offence.
The Blue Jays have received significant value from their catching duo this season, totalling a combined 5.6 fWAR, second to the Seattle Mariners, driven by Cal Raleigh’s historic season.
The Blue Jays will square off against Royals starter Seth Lugo in the rubber match of a three-game set with first pitch scheduled for 1:37 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
