Danny Jansen will make baseball history on Monday when he plays for both teams in the same game.
The unique scenario was set in stone on July 27, when the Toronto Blue Jays traded Jansen to the Boston Red Sox – about a month after a game between the two teams was halted in the second inning due to severe weather at Fenway Park.
Jansen was in the Blue Jays’ lineup that night and was scheduled to make his first at-bat before the game was canceled and announced as a split doubleheader for August 26.
A month later, the Red Sox signed the veteran catcher because they needed a right-hander. On Friday, Boston manager Alex Cora confirmed that Jansen will be on the roster when play resumes on June 26 on Monday afternoon at Fenway.
“Yes, he’s catching it,” Cora told reporters. “Let’s make history.”
Jansen called it “definitely a cool thing.”
“Definitely grateful,” he said. “Honestly, when I heard about it, I didn’t think I would be the first. The game has been around for so long. It’s one of those oddities that happens in this sport. It’s extremely rare and cool.”
Reese McGuire was Boston’s catcher for the June 26 game, but was immediately assigned to Triple-A Worcester following the Jansen trade. He is not currently on the Red Sox’s 40-man roster.
