It is rehab season for the Toronto Blue Jays down at Triple-A Buffalo.
Four players are scheduled to continue their rehab assignments with the Bisons this weekend, including catcher Danny Jansen, right-handed starter Alek Manoah and right-handed relievers Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson — all of whom will be in action during the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Sahlen Field.
Jansen will catch Manoah, who’s slated to throw five innings and 75 pitches in his second rehab start of 2024. Romano and Swanson will follow out of the bullpen for their second rehab appearances with Buffalo.
The 28-year-old backstop is also scheduled to play Sunday for the Bisons, and if everything checks out, he could return from the 10-day IL ahead of Monday’s opener at home against the New York Yankees.
Jansen suffered a fractured right wrist following a hit-by-pitch in spring training, leading to his season-opening IL stint. He has three hits in seven at-bats over two games with Buffalo, including a grand slam in his first rehab game on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the right-handed slugger went 1-for-4 with a two-run double against the Rochester Red Wings, the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate.
The Blue Jays often-injured catcher has struggled to stay healthy in the majors, as several previous ailments — most being of the fluky variety — have prevented him from logging 100 games or more in five of his six big-league seasons. He appeared in 86 games last season, the second-most of his career, posting career-highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (53).
Jansen, a free agent after this season, owns 65 home runs and 196 RBIs with a .224/.308/.435 slash line over 409 career major-league games — all with the Blue Jays.
Alejandro Kirk has operated as Toronto’s primary catcher in 2024, starting all but one of their 14 games behind the plate thus far, including Friday’s series opener versus the Colorado Rockies. Brian Serven is currently on the roster as the backup catcher to Kirk.
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