Danny Jansen DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.