Red Sox Hurler Reports To Camp With Injury Amid Trade Rumors
It did not take long for the first Boston Red Sox player to suffer a setback during spring training -- in fact, the player in question entered camp with a minor injury.
The Red Sox kicked off camp far healthier than they were a season ago -- as many players such as Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck came into spring training rehabbing post-surgery -- but one minor injury could interfere with the club's roster construction plans.
"Closer Kenley Jansen did not participate in the first official workout for Red Sox pitchers and catchers Wednesday here at JetBlue Park," MassLive's Christopher Smith wrote Wednesday. "He reported to camp with 'some general lat soreness,' as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described it."
Jansen reportedly has been on the trade block for weeks if not months as the Red Sox continue to find ways to shed payroll for reasons unknown. The 36-year-old claimed he expects to start throwing in a week or so, which bodes well for Boston should they retain him.
An injury of this magnitude is not enough to derail a potential trade in all likelihood, though it's slightly concerning to see an injury directly involved in an aging veteran's throwing motion.
What could derail the trade is the Red Sox's reported unwillingness to absorb any of the $16 million remaining on his contract. That also proves that the move would purely be a salary dump to appease the increasingly frugal principal owner John Henry -- who has disgraced the fanbase of his flagship franchise.
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