Kenley Jansen's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (lat), who arrived to camp last Wednesday with lat soreness and was shut down for several days, is throwing on Monday against a ploy wall at spring training. While Jansen is a bit behind the other pitchers in camp, as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, he should still be ready for Opening Day. The 36-year-old veteran has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but his lat injury may cause interested teams to reconsider. As long as he's healthy on Opening Day, Jansen should be Boston's primary closer for 2024. He's the MLB's active leader in saves and had 29 saves in 2023, but his lengthy injury history and age make him a risky target for saves in fantasy drafts this spring.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (lat) is in good spirits in camp after reporting to spring training with lat soreness, but he won't be back to throwing for a week or so. The Red Sox aren't going to take any chances with Jansen, especially since he's been the subject of trade rumors this offseason. The 36-year-old's injury isn't very serious, but it doesn't look great for an aging reliever as he prepares for the 2024 regular season. If Jansen is traded or isn't ready for Opening Day because of his injury, Chris Martin would be the most likely candidate to see a boost in value as Boston's primary closing option at the back of the bullpen. Jansen had 29 saves in 2023 to become MLB's active leader in saves, but he also dealt with back, knee and hamstring injuries and is a pretty big injury risk at the closing position for fantasy managers.

Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow said that closer Kenley Jansen (lat) reported to camp with some "general lat soreness" and will not be throwing for now. However, Jansen did take part in other drills on Monday and had been throwing bullpen sessions at home. This isn't good news for the 36-year-old reliever, especially since the Red Sox have been shopping him in trades, but it appears to be a minor injury that may not end up affecting his availability for the start of the 2024 season. If everything calms down in his lat, Jansen hopes to resume throwing in around a week. If Jansen isn't ready for the start of the regular season or if he's trade during spring training, Chris Martin and Josh Winckowski would become the two primary candidates for closing duties in Boston in 2024.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are currently being viewed as potential trade fits for current Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. The Red Sox are fielding offers for Jansen as he finishes off the two-year, $32 million deal he signed with the club last winter. The right-hander worked to a 3.63 ERA across 51 appearances in his first season with the Red Sox, the second-highest ERA of his 14-year MLB career and well above his 2.52 career mark. He spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Dodgers before signing with Atlanta for the 2022 season and Boston in 2023. He saw dips in both strikeout and walk rates last season and also saw his ground-ball rate plummet to a career-worst 22.6%. He could viably see save opportunities with either club but could also take on a lesser role entering his age-36 season.