Danny Jansen can provide support behind the plate for the Red Sox, but that wasn’t the primary reason Boston acquired the veteran catcher.
Craig Breslow and his team traded for Jansen from the Toronto Blue Jays before the MLB trade deadline to address their need for a right-handed hitter. The 29-year-old was seen as an ideal fit for Fenway Park, where power-hitting pull hitters usually perform well.
However, Jansen’s offensive output has been underwhelming, with a .204 average, five RBIs, and only two extra-base hits in 19 games with Boston. His struggles led to a candid critique from manager Alex Cora on Monday.
“He’s mishitting balls, not finishing at-bats,” Cora told reporters before the team’s road loss to the New York Mets, according to The Boston Globe. “It’s part of the grind. Right now, we’re grinding as an offense. Jarren (Duran) and (Wilyer) Abreu are the only ones being consistent. But aside from that, as an offense, we’re not doing what we need to.”
It was a tough Labor Day weekend for the Red Sox offensively, scoring only one run in each of their last three games. Despite the losses, Boston remained 4 1/2 games behind the final American League wild-card spot heading into Tuesday.
Cora’s team will aim to revive their offense in the middle game of the series in Queens. NESN’s full coverage of Tuesday’s game starts at 6 p.m. ET.
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