Boston Red Sox fans are on pins and needles following the exit of reliever Kenley Janen during Boston’s critical 7-5 victory over the Houston Astros that keep the Red Sox within reach of the third American League Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox are now only four games back from the Seattle Mariners, one of the hottest teams in baseball as of late, but Wednesday’s victory may have come with a huge cost as Jansen left the game in the bottom of the ninth inning after throwing just three pitches.
As shared on social media, Jansen was visibly uncomfortable as he walked off the mound as fans and MLB journalists are speculating the extent of Jansen’s injury.
According to Mass Live, the Red Sox announced that Jansen exited the game early due to left hamstring tightness, with no further information provided regarding how long Jansen will be out of the lineup.
In the interim, the Red Sox relied on Nick Pivetta and Josh Winckowski to close out the Astros on Wednesday, but they will certainly need Jansen for a potential postseason run.
Jansen, 34, has posted a 1.2 WAR (per Fangraphs) to go along with 29 saves on the season.
