It didn’t take long for the first Boston Red Sox player to suffer a setback during spring training; in fact, the player in issue arrived at camp with a slight injury.
The Red Sox started camp much healthier than they did last season, with numerous players like Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck rehabilitating from surgery, but one small setback may disrupt the club’s roster construction plans.
“Closer Kenley Jansen did not participate in the first official workout for Red Sox pitchers and catchers on Wednesday here at JetBlue Park,” writes MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “He reported to camp with ‘some general lat soreness,’ as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described it.”
Jansen has apparently been on the trade block for weeks, if not months, as the Red Sox seek ways to reduce payroll for unclear reasons. The 36-year-old stated that he intends to begin throwing in a week or so, which speaks well for Boston if they retain him.
An injury of this extent is unlikely to impede a potential trade, but it is disconcerting to see an injury intimately implicated in an aging veteran’s throwing action.
What could impede the trade is the Red Sox’s alleged refusal to absorb any of the $16 million remaining on his contract. That also demonstrates that the move is primarily a salary dump to placate John Henry, the more stingy principle owner who has degraded his flagship franchise’s fanbase.
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