Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen was supposed to pitch Monday against the Twins, but he couldn't play because of stiffness in his lower back, the club announced shortly before the game.
Instead, Jansen might pitch on Tuesday at home against Tampa Bay, and the 36-year-old is still expected to be ready for Opening Day, the club said.
However, this apparent setback is worrying.
Even though the Red Sox initially stated that Jansen wouldn’t need much game action to get ready for the season, he has only appeared in one Grapefruit League game so far. His debut was delayed by soreness in his side at the beginning of camp, and when he finally played last Friday against Minnesota, he gave up three runs on two home runs in 0.2 innings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora mentioned earlier in the spring that a veteran like Jansen should only need five innings to prepare for the season. If Jansen can play on Tuesday, it might still be possible for him to achieve that over the final week and a half of camp.
