Blue Jays Lose Yet Another Key Piece To Injury

After watching both Bo Bichette (again) and Matt Chapman go down to injuries late in August, the Blue Jays everyday lineup is getting awfully thin. Now they'll have to do without their starting catcher for a period of time as well.

Danny Jansen has a fractured finger (middle finger, right hand). Tyler Heineman to join Jays. More tests coming

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) September 2, 2023

Jansen suffered a fractured middle finger on his right hand during Friday's game in Colorado when he was hit behind the plate by a foul ball. He's been placed on the IL, where he'll join Bichette, Chapman and key reliever Erik Swanson.

Terrible timing for the Jays, who are fighting to stay in the Wild Card chase in the AL, currently trailing the Texas Rangers by 1.5 games (two in the loss column). 

The injury came just a half-inning after Jansen launched a 452-foot moon shot into the thin air of Coors Field. 

Danny Jansen just sent one to the moon.

452 feet and the #BlueJays are up, 4-2. pic.twitter.com/FvEX6xpa3i

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 2, 2023

The Jays' slugging catcher has had terrible trouble staying healthy throughout his six-year career, topping the 300 at-bat mark only once (back in 2019). He was sitting on 17 homers, 53 RBIs and a 114 OPS+ this season.  

Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports