Kenley Jansen sparked some controversy when he left the Boston Red Sox early in Boston prior to the team’s last series of the season. Multiple players in the Red Sox clubhouse reportedly “registered their disappointment” in Jansen’s decision, with one player going as far as to say “I can’t say I’m too surprised”, per Sean McAdam of MassLive.
Well, Jansen’s latest actions likely won’t sit well with either his (likely former) teammates or the Red Sox fanbase. Jansen was in attendance for Game 1 of the NLDS series between the San Diego Padres and his former team – the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jansen left the team on Sept. 27, prior to Boston’s final three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. He had been placed on the injured list on Sept. 23, ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season.
Following Jansen’s premature departure, several of his Red Sox teammates didn’t hold back. In addition to the aforementioned “not too surprised” teammate, McAdam also reported that “Jansen was known to be somewhat aloof during his time with the Sox, at times unsure of some teammates’ names.”
Jansen is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and it would be a shocking turn of events to see the closer back with the team in 2025.
Jansen spent the last two seasons with the Red Sox, recording 56 saves.
In July, Jansen did little to hide his desire to reunite with the Dodgers, saying on “Foul Territory” that “I wanna see myself retiring in Dodger blue”. The closer came up through Los Angeles’ farm system and spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the team. Jansen’s obsession with the Dodgers is not exactly a well-kept secret, as one of the most prominent Red Sox fans noted on social media.
When discussing the conversation between Jansen and manager Alex Cora that led to the closer heading home, Cora stated: “There’s other stuff we talked about, other stuff that’s going on with him, so yeah.”
Obviously, if there were legitimate reasons for Jansen to return home early, then that provides a different context. Hopefully, all is well with Jansen and his family. Regardless, it’s not a great look for a player to be cheering on another franchise after leaving his team prior to the end of the regular season.
