Toronto Blue Jays fans upset as catcher Danny Jansen goes on IL with groin strain: "Why did we trade Moreno again?" "This ain’t going to help things"
The Toronto Blue Jays placed catcher Danny Jansen on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left groin strain.
Jansen was forced from Wednesday's loss at the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday after suffering the injury while running out a ground ball in the fifth inning.
The 28-year-old backstop is batting just .207 this season, but had been heating up as of late. Over the past five games, he was hitting .251 with two home runs, four RBIs and four runs.
To replace Jansen on the active roster, the Blue Jays called up catcher Tyler Heineman from Triple-A Buffalo.
While things have not been going right for the Toronto Blue Jays this season, the team had been among the healthiest in MLB so far. Now, with Danny Jansen lost for at least the next week-plus, the team will have to rely on the hard-slumping Alejandro Kirk behind the plate.
However, Kirk has been showing signs of breaking out of his doldrums . Over the last five games, he is batting .351 to lift his season average to .248.
Manager John Schneider spoke to reporters about having to rely on Kirk:
"Kirk is so unique, because he has a really good command of the strike zone and can handle a lot of different pitches. I think a part of this is the league saying, 'OK, we’re going to throw it here with a purpose.' That’s part of the adjustment period for a young hitter.
"He’s been so good for us and we’re never going to ignore that. He has the ability to continue to be that good for us. It’s just about getting back to swinging at the right pitch."
Of course, the Toronto Blue Jays had a top catching prospect in Gabriel Moreno last season, but traded him over the winter to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a package that landed the team outfielder (and emergency catcher) Daulton Varsho.
As much as the Danny Jansen news sucked the life out of the Blue Jays' fanbase, Toronto fans want to know why uber-struggling starting pitcher Alek Manoah and his 6.15 ERA have not been sent to the minors yet.
If the Toronto Blue Jays need another catcher to replace Danny Jansen, the New York Mets cut ties with former New York Yankees backstop Gary Sanchez.
Danny Jansen an important player for the Toronto Blue Jays
Jansen is in his sixth season with the Blue Jays. He is hitting .221 with 54 homers and 169 RBIs in his MLB career.