Blue Jays select Austin Voth from Triple-A, transfer Alejandro Kirk to 60-day IL

What happened

The Blue Jays announced Wednesday that they have selected the contract of right-hander Austin Voth from Triple-A Buffalo, adding him to both the 26-man and 40-man rosters. To open the necessary space, Toronto optioned right-hander Tanner Andrews to Buffalo and moved catcher Alejandro Kirk from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, per the club's announcement.

The Kirk transfer, per the announcement, is largely a formality. Kirk has already been out for nearly 60 days following thumb surgery in early April, meaning the roster accounting is simply catching up to a timeline that has been running on its own for weeks. Critically, the move to the 60-day IL does not restart his clock — he remains eligible for activation upon reaching 60 total days on the shelf, per the club.

Why it matters

Each piece of Wednesday's transaction has its own logic, and together they illustrate the kind of quiet administrative work that keeps a major-league roster functional without generating much fanfare.

The Voth selection addresses a bullpen need in the most direct way available: a pitcher who has already appeared in a major-league game for this club this season, passed through waivers, briefly elected free agency, re-signed on a new minor-league deal, and has now been summoned again. That is a considerable amount of paperwork for one right-hander, but it also reflects a front office that kept watching what Voth was doing in Buffalo and liked what it saw. Per MLB Trade Rumors, it has been a fine season for the journeyman in Buffalo — which is precisely the kind of answer that earns a second call-up.

The Andrews option clears the 26-man and 40-man space Voth requires without any of the waiver complexity that would accompany a player who had exhausted his options. Andrews heads back to Buffalo; the transaction closes cleanly.

The Kirk transfer is the quietest of the moves and, in some ways, the most consequential for how Toronto thinks about its roster construction at catcher. Under general league rules, the 60-day IL removes a player from the 40-man count, which is precisely what allowed Voth to be added without a separate designation for someone else. The club was explicit that the move does not alter Kirk's eligibility timeline — the detail that matters most to anyone tracking when Toronto's starting catcher might return.

Why Voth is back in Toronto

Voth, 33, signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays in March, per MLB Trade Rumors. Minor-league deals, under general league rules, do not place a player on the 40-man roster until the contract is selected — which is exactly the flexibility Toronto was using here. He was called up once earlier this season, allowed one run across 2 2/3 innings in his only appearance, and was then passed through waivers. He briefly elected free agency before re-signing with the organization on a new minor-league deal.

That sequence — call-up, single outing, waivers, free agency, re-signing, call-up again — is the kind of career arc that would make a compelling folk song if anyone were writing folk songs about middle relievers. What it reflects operationally is a club that values Voth enough to keep bringing him back while also maintaining the roster flexibility to move him when the situation demands. His performance in Buffalo this season, characterized as fine by MLB Trade Rumors, is what closed the loop on the second invitation.

Where the club stands

No standings data was resolved for this story, so the desk will not manufacture a record or a division position. What the source does establish is the operational picture: Toronto is managing a 26-man roster that now includes Voth and excludes Andrews, while Kirk's absence at catcher continues under the 60-day IL designation. The club has been operating without its starting catcher for the better part of two months — a stretch that began with the thumb surgery in early April and has required the roster to absorb that gap throughout.

What we don't know yet

The club has not characterized what role Voth is expected to fill beyond the general category of bullpen right-hander. His previous appearance this season came in relief, but nothing in Wednesday's announcement addresses his anticipated usage going forward.

Kirk's precise return timeline remains unresolved. The club noted that the 60-day IL transfer does not restart his clock and that he will be eligible for activation upon reaching 60 total days on the shelf — but no timetable for that activation, no rehab assignment details, and no updated medical status beyond the original thumb surgery in early April were included in the announcement.

It is also worth noting that Voth's path back to the roster involved passing through waivers and re-signing on a new minor-league deal — a sequence that suggests some uncertainty about his standing earlier this season. Whether Wednesday's selection represents a more durable stay or another short-term audition is not something the announcement addresses.

What to watch

### When could Kirk return?

Per the club's announcement, Kirk will be eligible for activation upon reaching 60 total days on the shelf — and he has already been out for nearly 60 days since his thumb surgery in early April. The transfer to the 60-day IL does not reset that count, meaning the eligibility window is approaching. Eligibility and activation are different things, however, and the club has not indicated when or whether a return is imminent.

Under general league rules, a position player coming off the injured list after a significant absence may be sent on a rehab assignment of up to 20 days before being activated. Whether Toronto pursues that route with Kirk has not been reported, and the desk will not speculate on the medical or competitive calculus involved.

Voth's own roster history this season is worth monitoring as a signal of how the club views its bullpen depth. The minor-league deal structure gave Toronto the flexibility to bring him back without a 40-man commitment until Wednesday's selection — and that same structure has allowed the organization to cycle through options at the margins of the roster as needs have shifted.

Andrews returns to Buffalo with the transaction completed cleanly. His next appearance on a major-league transaction wire will depend on how the club's pitching needs develop from here.

The catcher situation remains the thread to pull. Kirk's extended absence represents a meaningful gap in Toronto's lineup, and the 60-day IL transfer — formality or not — is a concrete reminder that the club has been navigating that gap for the better part of two months. When the activation window opens, the decision Toronto makes will reflect both Kirk's health and how the roster has been constructed around his absence. The desk will be watching.