The Boston Red Sox didn’t end up needing Kenley Jansen in their 7-1 series-clinching victory against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, but manager Alex Cora planned to stay away from the veteran closer anyway.
After Saturday’s walk-off victory, Cora shared how Jansen was suffering from back tightness and that’s why Boston’s trainer visited the mound in the ninth inning. Jansen initially experienced the tightness when he was running before Saturday night’s game but said he would be good to go if the team needed him.
Cora offered a brief update after Sunday’s series finale against the Guardians.
“He’s feeling better, but we’ll try to stay away from him one more day,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.
Cora and the Red Sox were hoping to have Jansen back Monday, but it’s clear they don’t want to push the day-to-day ailment. Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush acknowledged how it affected Jansen in Saturday’s ninth-inning appearance. It ended up being Jansen’s first blown save of the season.
The Red Sox will continue their home stand with a series against the Toronto Blue Jays starting Monday. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.
