Kenley Jansen Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 5" / 265 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 9/30/1987 (36)
- Experience
- 14
- College
- None
Kenley Jansen Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Kenley Jansen News
Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back), who closed out the Los Angeles Angels in an 8-6 victory on Friday night for his third save of the year, is dealing with a sore back but had enough to close out the game. The 36-year-old active MLB leader in saves struck one batter in his clean frame on Friday and has now tossed four scoreless and hitless innings with three saves, five walks and six strikeouts in his first four appearances of 2024. He has been perfect so far, but it looks like his back issues from spring training are still around, and his command has been worrisome despite the three saves. Keep an eye on whether Jansen will be available to pitch on Saturday against the Halos. If he's not, either Chris Martin or Josh Winckowski could be in line for a save opportunity.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says closer Kenley Jansen (back) is available on Monday for the start of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. "He had a great day yesterday," Cora said. Jansen was unavailable out of Boston's bullpen for Saturday's extra-inning defeat to the Seattle Mariners due to back tightness, but he's ready to roll on Monday if a save opportunity presents itself. After collecting an Opening Day save to protect last Thursday's win over Seattle, the 36-year-old All-Star should remain a solid fantasy closer this season as long as he's in Beantown. Jansen collected a 3.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 52:17 K:BB over 44 2/3 innings for the BoSox last year, but he has an expiring contract that could make him a trade candidate later this summer.
Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen was unavailable to pitch in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners due to back tightness. Instead, the team turned to Joely Rodriguez and Justin Slaten in the bottom of the tenth in an attempt to preserve the win after the Sox scored two in the top of the inning, but the two pitchers combined to allow three hits, three runs, and a walk-off win for Seattle. Jansen dealt with the same injury in the spring but was able to pitch on Thursday when the Red Sox beat the Mariners 6-4, however, he woke up Friday and his back was tight. While the blown game is not ideal for the Red Sox, hopefully Jansen just needs some rest and he'll be back out there soon, however, fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on this. Veteran RHP Chris Martin would be next in line in the event of a prolonged absence.
Batting Order
1 | Jarren Duran |
2 | Triston Casas |
3 | Wilyer Abreu |
4 | Enmanuel Valdez |
5 | Connor Wong |
6 | David Hamilton |
7 | Pablo Reyes |
8 | Reese McGuire |
9 | Ceddanne Rafaela |
Kenley Jansen Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Jarren Duran |
2 | Triston Casas |
3 | Wilyer Abreu |
4 | Enmanuel Valdez |
5 | Connor Wong |
6 | David Hamilton |
7 | Pablo Reyes |
8 | Reese McGuire |
9 | Ceddanne Rafaela |
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kenley Jansen enters the 2024 season under a cloud of uncertainty as the veteran reliever has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason. A potential trade from Boston shouldn't affect Jansen's fantasy value however, as the 36-year-old is still a prime candidate to rack up saves no matter where he pitches. Except for the shortened 2020 season, Jansen posted at least 25 saves every year since 2012 when he first seized the closer role for the Dodgers. Over that decade of dominance, Jansen was regularly a top closer in fantasy. He consistently posted elite strikeout totals thanks to an eye-popping 35.9% career k-rate and had eight seasons with at least 30 saves, and four seasons with at least 40 saves. Father Time, however, remains undefeated and Jansen clearly declined last year in Boston as his 27.7% k-rate was the lowest of his career and he failed to reach 30 saves for the first time since 2015. Still, a lesser version of Jansen is still a start-worthy reliever in fantasy as his 29 saves, 3.63 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 52 strikeouts across 44 innings still placed the right-hander among the better closers in baseball. Whether it's Boston or elsewhere, Jansen should open the season as his team's closer thanks to a lengthy track record of success. Draft him with confidence as a top-20 RP in fantasy.