Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen needed just 12 pitches to dispose of the Orioles on Friday night, throwing eight of them for strikes and notching two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning in the 12-10 victory. After a rough July, Jansen has bounced back nicely, picking up his third save this month while having yet to allow a run, a hit, or even a walk and has struck out seven batters in four-and-two-thirds innings. The 36-year-old now has 23 saves on the season with a 2.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 20.8% K-BB%. The veteran remains a top closing option and fantasy managers will hope his back issues don't creep back into the picture for the stretch run.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen recorded his 22nd save of the season as his club defeated the Texas Rangers 9-4. He struck out one over a 1 1/3 scoreless innings in Tuesday's victory. The veteran right-hander entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and recorded a four-out save, retiring all four batters he faced. Jansen has been a reliable closing option all season, going 22-for-25 in save opportunities with a 2.79 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 40 games (42 IP) this season. As the 36-year-old is nearing the end of his illustrious career, he will continue to do everything he can to help the Red Sox win close games and hopefully make the postseason.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that closer Kenley Jansen (back) slipped and tweaked his lower back during his outing on Wednesday in the walk-off win against the visiting Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox will see how he feels on Friday after a scheduled day off on Thursday. Jansen earned his fourth win of the year after tossing a scoreless inning in the top of the 10th, walking one and striking out one, but he clearly tweaked his back trying to cover first base. He did stay in the game after trainers came out to check on him. Even if his injury is deemed minor, Jansen may not be ready for Friday's series opener against the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Fantasy managers may want to prepare for a potential injured-list stint just to be safe. If Jansen is forced to miss time with this ailment, Luis Garcia or Lucas Sims, both recently acquired in trades on Tuesday, could see save opportunities in Boston.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen picked up a rare two-inning save on Sunday, slamming the door on the Kansas City Royals in a 5-4 win. Jansen breezed by the Royals in his first inning of work, striking out all three batters he faced. Things got a bit scary in the ninth, with the Royals scoring a run and putting a runner on second, but Jansen got out of it for his 19th save of the season. The big righty has only gone more than one inning three times this year, but the incoming all-star break gives the Red Sox an easy way to rest Jansen up for the second half. He has gotten back to his prime form this season, going 19-for-20 in save chances with a 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts in 33 IP. He is a solid closing option for the second half in fantasy.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen shut the door on the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, earning his ninth save in a 2-1 win. Jansen made quick work of the Crew in the ninth inning, setting down all three batters he faced on just 10 pitches while striking out a pair. Although he's had some shaky outings, Jansen is now 9-for-10 in save opportunities and has a solid 3.06 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the season. The 36-year-old remains a viable fantasy option and should be rostered in any league where saves matter.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen tossed a clean ninth inning to pick up the save in a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals. Jansen allowed just a hit in his inning of work, with no walks or strikeouts to account for. The veteran closer pitched on a third consecutive day for the first time this season, a move made possible because of his sparse usage in May, with only one other appearance before this weekend. Although he's had a few shaky outings, Jansen has been mostly solid for the Red Sox this season and should continue to see the bulk of their save opportunities. He is a good closing option in fantasy.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Kenley Jansen struck out the side to earn the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jansen entered Saturday's game in the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. The 36-year-old struck out all three hitters he faced to earn his fifth save of the year. Jansen has converted 5-of-6 save chances with a 2.35 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Jansen as he continues to rack up saves as Boston's primary closer.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back), who closed out the Los Angeles Angels in an 8-6 victory on Friday night for his third save of the year, is dealing with a sore back but had enough to close out the game. The 36-year-old active MLB leader in saves struck one batter in his clean frame on Friday and has now tossed four scoreless and hitless innings with three saves, five walks and six strikeouts in his first four appearances of 2024. He has been perfect so far, but it looks like his back issues from spring training are still around, and his command has been worrisome despite the three saves. Keep an eye on whether Jansen will be available to pitch on Saturday against the Halos. If he's not, either Chris Martin or Josh Winckowski could be in line for a save opportunity.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says closer Kenley Jansen (back) is available on Monday for the start of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. "He had a great day yesterday," Cora said. Jansen was unavailable out of Boston's bullpen for Saturday's extra-inning defeat to the Seattle Mariners due to back tightness, but he's ready to roll on Monday if a save opportunity presents itself. After collecting an Opening Day save to protect last Thursday's win over Seattle, the 36-year-old All-Star should remain a solid fantasy closer this season as long as he's in Beantown. Jansen collected a 3.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 52:17 K:BB over 44 2/3 innings for the BoSox last year, but he has an expiring contract that could make him a trade candidate later this summer.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen was unavailable to pitch in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners due to back tightness. Instead, the team turned to Joely Rodriguez and Justin Slaten in the bottom of the tenth in an attempt to preserve the win after the Sox scored two in the top of the inning, but the two pitchers combined to allow three hits, three runs, and a walk-off win for Seattle. Jansen dealt with the same injury in the spring but was able to pitch on Thursday when the Red Sox beat the Mariners 6-4, however, he woke up Friday and his back was tight. While the blown game is not ideal for the Red Sox, hopefully Jansen just needs some rest and he'll be back out there soon, however, fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on this. Veteran RHP Chris Martin would be next in line in the event of a prolonged absence.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen recorded his first save of the season in Thursday's victory against the Seattle Mariners. The veteran allowed a walk, but also recorded a pair of strikeouts. Despite dealing with back issues this spring, Jansen was ready and looked good to go on Opening Day. Even at age 36, Jansen remains a solid option for managers out of the bullpen. The veteran was rumored to be on the trade block this offseason, so it would not be the worst idea for Jansen managers to consider rostering Chris Martin if the Red Sox get off to a slow start and the rumors pick back up.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back) said he felt good in his return to Grapefruit League action on Thursday night against the Baltimore Orioles and expects to be ready for Opening Day on March 28 next Thursday. Jansen said he didn't feel good until Thursday and that he's been battling lat, shoulder and back issues throughout spring training. The 36-year-old veteran right-hander looked like his dominant self in a perfect inning of work against Baltimore, which is great news for fantasy managers that already have Jansen rostered. It was just his second appearance of the spring, though, and MLB's active leader in saves should be considered a pretty big injury risk as a No. 2 fantasy closer as he heads into his 15th big-league season (second with the Red Sox).

Boston Red Sox relievers Kenley Jansen (back) and Chris Martin (groin) are both scheduled to pitch in Thursday night's Grapefruit League game against the Baltimore Orioles. Jansen didn't make his Grapefruit League debut until last Friday due to lat tightness this spring and then was scratched from a spring appearance earlier this week due to lower-back stiffness. While Jansen is running out of time to be ready for Opening Day on March 28 next Thursday, if he can avoid anymore setbacks with his back, he could still be ready. Martin, who is probably next in line for saves in Boston if Jansen ever misses time, will be making his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday after injuring his groin in early March. Jansen is the active MLB leader in saves, but he's become extremely injury-prone.

The Boston Red Sox are now hoping that closer Kenley Jansen (back) can pitch in a Grapefruit League game on Thursday. After being scratched from spring training action on both Monday and Tuesday with lower-back tightness, Jansen won't attempt to pitch in a minor-league game on Wednesday. Jansen was dealing with lat tightness earlier in camp and didn't make his Grapefruit League debut until last Friday. Manager Alex Cora said on Monday that the 36-year-old veteran right-hander is running out of time to get ready for Opening Day on March 28, so even if Jansen pitches on Thursday, there's a chance he won't be ready for the start of the regular season. Although Jansen is the active all-time saves leader, this is another reminder that he's become a huge injury risk as a No. 2 fantasy closer. Chris Martin (groin) is also hurt in camp, so Josh Winckowski could be looking at some early season save chances in the back of Boston's bullpen.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Kenley Jansen (back) will not pitch on Tuesday and is still dealing with back tightness, according to manager Alex Cora. Jansen was scratched on Monday but was originally scheduled to pitch on Tuesday with four more spring outings in mind. He has mad just one spring outing on March 15 and allowed three earned runs on two homers across just 2/3 of an inning. Cora said the veteran is running out of time to be ready for Opening Day. "He's running out of time," the manager said. "We still have time, but we're running out of time." The Red Sox open the regular season on March 28 in Seattle. Jansen posted a 3.63 ERA in the 2023 season, the second-worst mark of his 14-year career while his 27.7% K% was the worst mark of his career.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that closer Kenley Jansen (back) has just enough time to be ready for the start of the regular season on March 28, but there is no margin for any more injury setbacks. "We're running out of time," Cora said. Despite being scratched from his second Grapefruit League appearance on Monday with lower-back tightness, Jansen is scheduled to pitch on Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and one more time in an exhibition game in Texas next week. The 36-year-old veteran reliever didn't make his first spring appearance until last Friday due to lat tightness, so Jansen has already dealt with two injuries this spring. While he could be ready for Opening Day, fantasy managers should be considering him a pretty shaky No. 2 closer in 2024. Chris Martin (groin) is also hurt and could open the year on the injured list, so the back end of Boston's bullpen is limping into Opening Day.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back) has been scratched from the team's Grapefruit League game on Monday versus the Minnesota Twins due to lower-back tightness. However, he could pitch as soon as Tuesday, and the Red Sox still expect that he'll be ready for Opening Day on March 28. Jansen didn't make his spring training debut until last Friday due to lat soreness that he experienced after reporting to camp a month ago, so he hasn't been able to get much work in this spring. Boston is being extra cautious with the 36-year-old veteran reliever. Jansen is MLB's active leader in saves and will be Boston's primary ninth-inning man in 2024, but the injuries are beginning to pile up, and he should be considered a shaky No. 2 fantasy closer.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen's (lat) live batting practice session appeared to go well on Tuesday, as he gave a thumbs up and a "yes, sir" when asked how it went. He is expected to pitch in his first Grapefruit League game on Friday. The Red Sox have been slow-playing Jansen in camp after he reported to spring training with lat soreness. The 36-year-old veteran has progressed nicely, though, and as long as he doesn't have a setback once he starts pitching in actual games, he will be ready for Opening Day later this month. Jansen is MLB's active leader in saves and will be Boston's primary ninth-inning guy when he's healthy, but there's no denying that he's a pretty big injury risk for fantasy managers at this stage of his career.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (lat) is scheduled to throw another live batting practice session on Tuesday, per the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. The 36-year-old reported right lat soreness early in camp and was shut down, but is now building up for Opening Day. Fantasy managers should monitor his situation for a better idea of whether he will be ready for Opening Day. It seems as though veteran Chris Martin (groin) would get the first shot at save opportunities for the Red Sox if Jansen is unable to start the season healthy.