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Blue Jays put Alejandro Kirk on IL with laceration on hand

The Toronto Blue Jays placed catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list Monday with a laceration on his left hand and recalled catcher Tyler Heineman from Triple-A Buffalo.

In addition, the Blue Jays optioned right-hander Bowden Francis to Buffalo and recalled right-hander Trent Thornton.

Kirk, 24, was hit on his hand by a pitch during Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. In 59 games, Kirk is batting .253 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Over four seasons in Toronto, including an All-Star season a year ago, Kirk is a .272 hitter with 26 home runs and 111 RBIs.

Heineman, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday, entered as a defensive replacement and didn't have an at-bat in Monday's 11-0 loss to the Miami Marlins. He was 3-for-10 in six games for the Blue Jays earlier this season and is 4-for-19 in 10 games in 2023 with both the Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates. He is a career .214 hitter with one home run and 12 RBIs in 92 games for four different teams.

Francis, 27, has a 3.68 ERA in three relief appearances for the Blue Jays this season. Thornton, 29, made his first major league appearance this season -- pitching two innings and allowing two hits while striking out two -- after 32 appearances with the Blue Jays and a 4.11 ERA last season.

Reuters contributed to this report.