As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Tigers/Twins game postponed:
The Tigers announced this morning that the club’s scheduled game against the Twins in Detroit this afternoon has been postponed due to inclement weather. Per the announcement, the game will be made up this coming Saturday as part of a straight doubleheader beginning at 1:10pm local time that afternoon. Ticket-holders for today’s game will be able to exchange their tickets to attend Saturday’s doubleheader or any other regular season game “of similar value” in the next 12 months. The series between the two division rivals is now expected to begin tomorrow at 6:40pm local time.
2. Jansen nearing impressive milestone:
Veteran closer Kenley Jansen is among the most reliable closers in MLB history, with a career 2.51 ERA and matching 2.51 FIP over his 15 seasons in the big leagues. This year, the 36-year-old veteran has a chance to further bolster his spot in the annals of MLB history during his next appearance. Jansen’s next save will be the 424th of his career, tying him with longtime Mets and Reds closer John Franco on the All-Time saves leaderboard. That would leave Jansen tied for fifth all-time in career saves behind only Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, and Francisco Rodriguez. It’s a milestone Jansen could achieve as soon as tonight, when the Red Sox face the Orioles in Boston for a game scheduled to begin at 7:10pm local time.
3. When will Martinez join the Mets?
Veteran slugger J.D. Martinez signed a one-year deal with the Mets nearly three weeks ago, but has seen his start to the season pushed back by what has been termed “general body soreness” to this point. While there had previously been some optimism that Martinez would be able to make his big league debut at some point this weekend, that’s been dashed now that manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com) that Martinez has received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his lower back and will not return to hitting for at least three to five days. While the timing of Martinez’s debut with the Mets remains up in the air, the 36-year-old veteran has a real chance to impact the club’s struggling offense after slugging 33 homers in just 113 games with the Dodgers last year.