Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen had a huge game on Friday night to help the Rays beat the Braves in Tampa. Jansen went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the season and added a double and four RBI in the Rays' 6-3 victory. Jansen has played nine games for the Rays this season and had gone just 1-for-26 (.038) before breaking through as a surprising hero on Friday night. He and Ben Rortvedt will continue to share time behind the plate, but so far Jansen has gotten most of the work, despite his offensive struggles. After such a slow start, Jansen isn't a fantasy option at this point, but it's worth watching to see if this big game is the start of something more.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen (rib) is in Friday's starting lineup. Jansen will be behind the dish and bat sixth against Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland. Jansen was sidelined at the end of spring training due to a pulled muscle in his rib cage. However, the 29-year-old was able to progress enough and will not miss Opening Day. Earlier in the offseason, the Rays signed Jansen to a one-year deal worth $8.5 million to be the primary backstop. Before the injury, Jansen tallied three round-trippers with a .320/.452/.640 slash line with two doubles and two long balls across 11 contests in the Grapefruit League. Last season, Jansen posted a modest .205/.309/.349 slash line with nine long balls. He is worth a look in DFS competitions facing Freeland, who posted a 5.24 ERA last season.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen (rib) appears to be ready to play on Opening Day on Friday against the Colorado Rockies after testing out his injured rib muscle while catching and hitting in a simulated game on Wednesday, according to Bally Sports' Ryan Bass. Jansen didn't have any limitations in Wednesday's sim game, clearing the way for him to be active on Friday. The 29-year-old backstop will open the 2025 campaign as Tampa's starting catcher after hitting a combined .205/.309/.349 with a .658 OPS, nine home runs and 24 RBI in 92 games with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in 2024. Jansen has decent pop for a catcher, but durability is an issue, as he's played in more than 100 games just once in his seven MLB seasons, and not since 2019. Expect the Rays to rest him regularly with Ben Rortvedt.
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.
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