Red Sox Closer Kenley Jansen Opens Up About Nagging Injury

The Boston Red Sox not using Kenley Jansen in a save situation Friday night sent up red flags.

Jansen wasn’t available to pitch due to lat inflammation he’s been dealing with since a series against the Toronto Blue Jays last week, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith.

Jansen last pitched Wednesday against the Mets in New York but the four-time All-Star didn’t look like himself. He threw 13 of his 28 pitches for balls in a non-save situation and allowed three walks and four runs while recording just one out. He also walked in a run.

“Getting my extension is hard to do,” Jansen told reporters Saturday, per The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “So basically, I try to avoid it. The last one in New York (I felt it). I was trying to avoid it. That’s why I’m sure my location was off because I was just trying to avoid that pinch pain.”

It’s clear looking at Jansen’s last few outings that the ailment is impacting him on the mound. He allowed a homer in an inning of work against the Blue Jays on Aug. 27 before coming back the next day to record a save. Jansen also blew a save last week against the Detroit Tigers and then had his rough showing against the Mets.

But it appears Jansen will try to work through the issue as Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters prior to Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox that Jansen was available to pitch. Jansen wasn’t as sure as he told reporters he wanted to play catch before the contest to determine his status.

The Red Sox used Josh Winckowski in Jansen’s place to record the save Friday. If Jansen still can’t go Saturday if the situation arises, Boston could turn to Winckowski again or veteran reliever Chris Martin.