Red Sox pitcher not traveling to Colorado for medical reason

Jun 6, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox used top reliever Kenley Jansen in a surprising situation on Sunday night. Now we know why.

Jansen will not be accompanying his Red Sox for their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. Jansen has an irregular heartbeat. He has needed his heart shocked three different times when he’s pitched at Coors Field.

This time, he is taking a precaution and declining to make the trip.

Kenley Jansen said he isn’t going to Colorado. He said he’s had to have his heart shocked 3 different times (2012,2018,2022) after pitching there, and he isn’t comfortable with any further risks. So, he wanted to pitch today to take some of the load off his teammates.

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 22, 2024

“We’re trying to get to the postseason. I don’t think that’s a great time to go there and mess things up. The next thing you know, it’s going to hurt the team more,” Jansen said after Sunday’s game.

Jansen ended up pitching in the 8th inning of his Red Sox’s 9-6 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sunday. He entered the game with his team down 6-3 and allowed three runs to make it 9-3. That came after he allowed a game-tying home run in the 9th inning the day before.

Jansen said he wanted to pitch in the game to help take the load off the rest of the bullpen since he won’t be pitching in the series against the Rockies, which begins on Monday. He’ll travel back to Boston and prepare to pitch in the team’s series against the Yankees, which begins on Friday.