Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Danny Jansen Heads To IL As Blue Jays' Injuries Pile Up
Add another regular to the Blue Jays' growing injured list.
Toronto placed catcher Danny Jansen on the IL on Saturday, where he joins infielders Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman. Jansen will miss at least the next 10 days with a fractured right middle finger after he was hit by a pitch in Colorado on Friday.
Jansen took yet another ball to the hand in Friday's contest, representing his 10th hit by pitch of the season — more than doubling his previous career high. The Blue Jays' backstop has been battered and bruised all season, but largely avoided significant injury in the second half of the year, until Saturday. Catcher Tyler Heineman was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take Jansen's spot on the 26-man roster.
Toronto's catching injury was the latest in a string of ailments to some key members of the Jays' lineup. The left side of Toronto's infield — Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette — went on the shelf last week, forcing Ernie Clement and Davis Schneider to step into regular roles.
In Jansen's absence, Alejandro Kirk will be forced into a key position for a Blue Jays team trying to claw back into a playoff spot. However, in the last two weeks, Kirk has found an offensive groove, hitting over .400 with five doubles. If Kirk is able to step up like Clement and Schneider have managed to in the infield, the Jays may be able to withstand this string of injuries.
