Blue Jays' Jansen placed on IL after fracturing finger on foul ball
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen suffered a fractured right middle finger when he was hit by a foul ball during Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies, manager John Schneider told reporters.
The fracture is near Jansen's knuckle, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
After undergoing additional tests in Denver, the Blue Jays placed Jansen on the 10-day injured list ahead of Saturday's game. Jansen will meet with a specialist next week, and there's no immediate timetable for his return, Schneider said Saturday, per Nicholson-Smith.
Danny Jansen showed up to work with that fractured finger wrapped up. Told me he knew something felt “off” when he got hit by foul ball, but still wanted to stay in game. No timeline for his return. Optimistic as always, he smiled & said :
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) September 2, 2023
“Maybe I’ll be the World Series MVP”
Catcher Tyler Heineman was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move.
Jansen initially stayed in the game after being hit by the foul ball but was eventually removed for pinch hitter Alejandro Kirk in the seventh inning. The Blue Jays originally announced the injury as a right hand contusion.
Kirk will presumably take over as Toronto's primary catcher while Jansen is sidelined.
Jansen has dealt with a multitude of hand and wrist injuries from being hit by pitches or foul balls during his career. In 2022, he missed almost a month of action after suffering a metacarpal fracture in his left hand. This will be his second IL stint of 2023; he was out for almost a month early in the season due to a groin strain.
Before leaving Friday's game, the 28-year-old went 1-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs, raising his 2023 slash line to .228/.312/.474 across 86 games.
Heineman, 32, was acquired by Toronto from Pittsburgh in April. He's spent most of this season in Buffalo but has appeared in nine big-league games for the Blue Jays in 2023, going 5-for-16 with four walks over that span.