Red Sox’ Danny Jansen set to make MLB history on Aug. 26

Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen is slated to make MLB history next week.

The 29-year-old is set to become the first player to ever suit up for two different teams in the same game, Boston’s manager Alex Cora confirmed on Friday.

Jansen, the Toronto Blue Jays’ catcher at the time, was at the plate in the top of the second inning against the Red Sox on June 26 at Fenway Park. Severe rain was falling during his at-bat (which remains a 0-1 count) as umpires suspended the game. Boston and Toronto opted to resume the contest on Aug. 26 at Fenway. 

However, one month before the rescheduled game on July 27, the Red Sox traded for Jansen. Boston designated Reese McGuire for assignment, who was its starting catcher in the contest on June 26, following the trade. 

“I’ve been getting texts from (baseball reporters) Jayson Stark and Buster Olney, ‘Is he going to catch?’ You know what? Yeah, he’s catching. Let’s make history,” Cora told reporters on Friday, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “We’ll see how it goes the next two days as far as the pitching. But we have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to do that day and it makes sense (to play Jansen).”

Given Cora’s comments, Jansen will bat ninth in place of McGuire, who is currently playing for the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate Worcester Red Sox. That means Jansen will catch the at-bat that he stood in the batter’s box for two months ago.

As for who will take Jansen’s place for the Blue Jays during the at-bat, a pinch hitter will inherit Jansen’s 0-1 count.

Because there is only one strike in the count, Jansen will not be credited with the result of the at-bat, according to MLB’s rulebook. If Toronto’s pinch-hitter strikes out, for example, the punchout will be added to the pinch-hitter’s statistics.

Not only will Boston’s catcher position be substituted for, but two other positions in the lineup will need to be amended. Enmanuel Valdez was the Red Sox’ second baseman, batting seventh, and Dominic Smith was the team’s first baseman, batting eighth, that day. Valdez is with the WooSox and Smith was released by Boston earlier this week on Tuesday.

When the game resumes next week, remember Danny Jansen’s name for this future sports trivia question: “Who was the first (or only) player in MLB history to play for two teams in the same game?”