The Alejandro Kirk injury news has turned out to be quite a bummer.

The Toronto Blue Jays likely headed into Saturday hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as feared, but it’s a tough outcome in the end.

The Blue Jays placed Kirk on the Injured List on Saturday. He had exited action Friday night in the 10th inning after taking a foul ball off his left thumb beneath his catcher’s mitt.

The Blue Jays announced that Kirk’s injury is a left thumb fracture.

MORE: Explaining the absurdity of 2 MLB players named Max Muncy

They called up Brandon Valenzuela from Triple-A Buffalo to be their second catcher behind the fill-in starter Tyler Heineman. 

Blue Jays reporter Hazel Mae reported, “Kirk will visit Dr. Graham in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania on Monday and see if they need to do any kind of surgical intervention or pin in his thumb.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters, via Mae, that Kirk also dislocated his left thumb in addition to the fracture.

Schneider added that the fracture occurred in the middle of the thumb, “Almost over the knuckle,” and described it as “weird.”

MORE: This Red Sox pitcher traveled an impossible path to the major leagues

The Blue Jays don’t believe there is any ligament damage.

It’s a brutal development in the early going as the reigning American League champions try to repeat in the AL East and potentially make it back to the World Series.

Kirk is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball in addition to his impressive bat-to-ball skills at the plate.

Without Kirk, the Blue Jays are definitely a worse team.

More MLB news: