When the Boston Red Sox hosted the Tampa Bay Rays for the final series of the regular season, former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was nowhere to be found.
The Boston closer’s locker sat empty without his name tag prompting questions of whether he would be around for the final pitch of 2024.
The Red Sox officially placed Jansen on the injured list Monday with right shoulder inflammation, which is why Jansen decided to fly back home to Los Angeles.
Jansen broke his silence on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast on Sunday.
“Me and A.C. had a conversation and we both agreed,” Jansen said. “That’s what it was, nothing big.”
Jansen said there was nothing to dig into. He left simply because he was on the IL and his manager told him to go home.
“I told Kenley to go home,” Cora told reporters, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “So if they’re upset, they should come to my office and ask me. We talked during the week. There’s other stuff that is going on with Kenley, too. But the manager decided for him, ‘Hey, we’re out of it. So if you want to go home, you go home. And he went home.’”
It was a brutal end to his time in Boston but Jansen is turning the page and looking ahead to the offseason and free agency.
“I’m just going to enjoy the process,” he said. “The process is to get up at 5:45 in the morning, work out, bring my kids to school, come back, work out again in my gym, go to the field, play catch. When I have to, throw my bullpen. I’m just going to enjoy that part, enjoy the off-season, getting ready for a successful 2025 season. I think this is my fourth free agent time. … I’m just going to enjoy getting ready for the season. I know my agent’s going to do a great job. Wherever I land, I’m going to be ready for it.”
Will he miss pitching in Boston and playing with the Red Sox?
“Of course, I’m going to miss them. Why not? Of course, I’m going to miss them. It’s a city that deserves winning. It’s a city that deserves championships there. … It’s a city of champions. They deserve nothing but the best.”
