Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that catcher Danny Jansen (rib) is doing better and will test his injured rib in a five- to six-inning simulated game on Wednesday. Jansen has been out the last few days due to a pulled rib muscle, but if he responds well to Wednesday's simulated game, he will be included on the team's Opening Day roster. If Jansen doesn't do so well on Wednesday, Kenny Piper will open the year as Tampa's backup catcher behind Ben Rortvedt. The good news is that even if Jansen isn't ready for Friday's season opener, it sounds like he won't have a lengthy absence to begin the regular season. The 29-year-old Jansen had a solid spring training, batting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, two home runs and four RBI in 11 Grapefruit League games. He has decent pop for a catcher, but Jansen's injury history makes him a No. 2 fantasy catcher.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen (rib) has been unavailable for the last few days in spring training due to a rib-muscle pull, but manager Kevin Cash is hoping that they can get him back in the Grapefruit League lineup for one of the final two spring games or Wednesday's intrasquad game. "We're trying to just manage it and keep him off the field for a couple days," Cash said. "He's in a really good spot." The 29-year-old hasn't played since Wednesday, and his availability for Opening Day next Thursday is now up in the air. It would be a shame if he's not ready, as Jansen has gone 8-for-25 with two home runs, four RBI and six runs in 11 Grapefruit League games. When healthy, Jansen is expected to be Tampa's primary backstop, but he's no stranger to missing time due to injuries in his career. If he's not ready by the end of next week, Ben Rortvedt will jump into the No. 1 catching spot.
Free-agent catcher Danny Jansen and the Tampa Bay Rays agreed on a one-year, $8.5 million deal on Friday that includes a mutual option for a second season in 2026, according to sources. Jansen played for the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in 2024 and will remain in the American League East. In 92 games for the Jays and Red Sox this past season, Jansen struggled to the tune of a .205/.309/.349 slash line with a well below-average .658 OPS, nine home runs, 24 RBI and 35 runs scored in 324 total plate appearances. Injuries continue to limit the 29-year-old's playing time, but he did post double-digit home runs in the previous three seasons at the weak catcher position. Jansen could have a rebound season in Tampa in 2025 while splitting playing time with Ben Rortvedt, but he's going to need to stay healthy, which has been an issue for him in his MLB career.
Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen is set to make history on Monday as Boston will resume their game with the Toronto Blue Jays that was suspended on June 26. Jansen, who played in that game with the Blue Jays, will now replace Reese McGuire as the Red Sox's catcher (according to manager Alex Cora) after being traded to Boston at the trade deadline. This will mark the first time in MLB history that a player will play on both teams during one game. The 29-year-old has been a productive hitter with the Red Sox, slashing .231/.333/.385 with two homers and five RBI in 14 games (69 at-bats).
Boston Red Sox Finalize Deal To Acquire Danny Jansen From Blue Jays
The Boston Red Sox have finalized a deal that will send Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen to Boston. The full details of the trade have yet to be disclosed, but one player that is confirmed to be heading back Toronto's way is infielder Cutter Coffey, a second round pick in 2022 that has been playing in Single-A Greenville this year and has posted a .784 OPS in 240 AB. Jansen has been having a down year by his standards, hitting for just a 90 OPS+ after hitting for a 114 OPS+ in 2023 and a 142 OPS+ in 2022. Boston appears to be looking to upgrade their backup catcher position though as Jansen's production far outweighs what they're receiving from Reese McGuire (60 OPS+). With Jansen having familiarity within the AL East already, fantasy managers should continue to expect his production to remain fairly consistent. His earliest chance to join the Red Sox will be Sunday against Yankees' starter Carlos Rodon.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is out of the starting lineup again on Friday for the start of the second half of the season against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Alejandro Kirk will get another start behind the dish and will bat seventh versus Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty. It looks like Jansen is no longer the preferred catcher for Toronto, as Kirk started over him in five of the final eight games in the first half of the seasons and will get the nod again on Friday. The 29-year-old Jansen has much more fantasy appeal than Kirk because of his power, but he's had trouble staying healthy and hasn't impressed with a .223/.316/.391 slash line in his 184 at-bats in 2024. Kirk, on the other hand, hasn't been any better, batting .234 (37-for-158) with only two home runs and 24 RBI for Toronto.
The Toronto Blue Jays reinstated catcher Danny Jansen from the paternity list on Thursday and optioned catcher Brian Serven to Triple-a Buffalo in a corresponding move. Jansen is serving as the designated hitter and is batting in the two-hole for the Jays on Thursday against the visiting Houston Astros and left-hander Framber Valdez. The 29-year-old backstop missed the first three games of the series against Houston but will return for the series finale on the Fourth of July. Injuries have limited Jansen to 163 at-bats in 2024, and he's hitting just .227/.316/.399 with a .714 OPS, five home runs and 16 RBI. He's been a league-average hitter as he shares playing time with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate. Jansen isn't going to hit for average, but he has decent pop at the weak catcher position when he's healthy.
The Toronto Blue Jays placed catcher Danny Jansen on the paternity list on Monday and recalled catcher Brian Serven from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Jansen will likely miss the next three days and the series against the visiting Houston Astros to begin the first week in July. In his absence, Alejandro Kirk will serve as Toronto's primary catcher with Serven backing him up. Kirk is behind the plate for Canada Day on Monday and is batting eighth against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Jansen hit just .129 (8-for-62) with no homers, three doubles and 14 strikeouts in 20 games in June, so he'll be hoping to turn things around after returning from the paternity list. Kirk hasn't been much better this year, going 27-for-131 (.206) with only two homers and 18 RBI as Toronto's other catcher.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. The 29-year-old is mired in a slump as he has collected just one base hit (a single) across his last five starts (six appearances) and 21 trips to the plate, so he will take a seat against Guardians righty Ben Lively on Saturday afternoon. Alejandro Kirk will take over and hit eighth on Saturday. A free-agent-to-be, Jansen has established himself as perhaps one of this summer's highly-touted trade targets as he has hit five homers alongside an 11.7% BB% and a .746 OPS across an injury-shortened 45 games played, production that grades out 14% superior to the league average, as per his 114 wRC+. Jansen has quietly been one of the more productive catchers in baseball in recent seasons but has had trouble staying healthy while playing in a timeshare with Kirk.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's afternoon contest against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. The 29-year-old went 0-for-4 with a pair of walks and a run scored in Friday's extra-innings win but will give way to Alejandro Kirk behind the dish on Saturday. Jansen is in the midst of an excellent season that has seen him hit .287 with five homers alongside a .906 OPS across 116 trips to the plate as he dealt with a broken hand earlier in the season. His productive bat has not only given him the lion's share of starts over Kirk behind the plate but has earned him a spot in the two-hole on a regular basis of late. He has emerged an excellent No. 1 catcher for fantasy managers in the 2024 campaign.
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