Playing for Two Teams in One Game! How Danny Jansen Will Make MLB History
Danny Jansen is set to make MLB history during the resumption of a postponed Blue Jays and Red Sox game on Monday. Having been traded to the Red Sox from the Blue Jays at the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline, Jansen will be placed into the Red Sox lineup on Monday, having already begun the game in the starting lineup for the Blue Jays when the game began on June 26th. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, told reporters that he would replace catcher Reese McGuire with Jansen once play resumes. This will mark the first time in MLB history that a player suited up for two different teams in the same game, despite the resumption of the game being months apart from the original start date.
Ironically enough for Jansen, he was the player at bat for the Toronto Blue Jays with a 0-1 count when the game was suspended due to heavy rain in the top of the second inning. This means that the Blue Jays pinch hitter will be credited with the at-bat, considering Jansen was not down in the count 0-2. As for Jansen, he will go down as having started the at-bat for the Blue Jays and finished the at-bat behind the plate catching as a member of the Boston Red Sox. The game is scheduled to resume at Fenway Park on Monday at 2:05 p.m., with the second game of the doubleheader being scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Jansen has dealt with injuries this season, but when healthy has not played up to the potential that he displayed in 2022 and 2023. However, since being traded to the Red Sox, Jansen’s batting average is .45 points higher, his OBP is .63 points higher, and his slugging percentage is .60 higher than his numbers during his time in Toronto during the first half of the season. Similar to the catching situation between Jansen and Alejandro Kirk in Toronto, Jansen continues to see limited and sometimes split playing time between himself and Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong. Jansen will look to get some revenge on his former ball club on Monday after being inserted into the lineup as the Red Sox look to beat their American League East rivals and remain in contention for the Wild Card.
