Toronto Blue Jays Lose Danny Jansen to Injury, Alejandro Kirk to Start at Catcher
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Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen suffered a small fracture in the pisiform bone at the base of his right wrist when he got hit by a pitch Wednesday, The Athletic's Jayson Stark reported Friday morning.
Jansen got plunked in the seventh inning of Wednesday's Grapefruit League showdown with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was immediately subbed out of the game.
Manager John Schneider said Jansen will be out for a couple of weeks, meaning his availability for the start of the regular season is now up in the air.
The 28-year-old backstop was batting .217 with one home run, three RBI and a .743 OPS through eight Spring Training games.
With Jansen banged up, Alejandro Kirk is set to take on an even larger role behind the plate.
Kirk started 84 games in 2023, while Jansen started 65. Third-stringer Tyler Heineman, who started 13 games, was waived in the fall.
Non-roster invitees Brian Serven and Payton Henry are poised to back up Kirk for the remainder of Spring Training. Both Serven and Henry are on minor league deals, but one of them would likely make the Opening Day roster if Jansen isn't back to full strength by March 28.
Both Jansen and Kirk have been with the Blue Jays for their entire professional careers.
In his six-year big league career, Jansen is a .224 hitter with 65 home runs, 196 RBI, a .743 OPS and an 8.1 WAR. Jansen hit .228 with 17 home runs, 53 RBI, a .786 OPS and a 1.6 WAR in 2023.
Kirk is a .268 hitter in his career, recording 31 home runs, 133 RBI, a .753 OPS and a 6.9 WAR across four seasons. After making an All-Star appearance and winning a Silver Slugger in 2022, Kirk hit .250 with eight home runs, 43 RBI, a .692 OPS and a 1.9 WAR in 2023.
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