After a slow start, Rays’ Danny Jansen has a happier streak to focus on

TAMPA — It’s not exactly the sexiest streak going in the majors, but it is encouraging for Danny Jansen.

The catcher who signed a free-agent deal with the Rays in the offseason has reached base in 17 consecutive games, which is a career high. It’s the longest on-base streak for a Tampa Bay hitter since Randy Arozarena had 19 in a row last summer.

But there is a caveat.

Jansen is only hitting .191 (9-for-47) during the streak, with much of the production due to 12 walks and a .356 on-base percentage.

“I really haven’t dove in too much mentally thinking about the streak,” Jansen said. “But anytime I can help the team win by getting on base is obviously a huge thing. Any time I can have a quality at-bat, that’s what I’m trying to do when I step in the box. If it happens to be some walks, then so be it.

“I’m still trying to get my A swing off as much as I can and trust myself with my approach throughout the effort.”

While the numbers do not sound overly impressive, it is an improvement from the first month of the season, when Jansen began with a .125 batting average through his first 48 at-bats.

It’s often said that walks preface hits when a batter is in a slump because it’s an indication that he’s doing a better job of seeing and anticipating the ball coming out of a pitcher’s hand.

“Throughout the course of my career I’ve been streaky so, yeah, this happens,” Jansen said, “But I do think there’s more comfort in the box right now. I started slow, but a lot of times for me it’s not about chasing hits but chasing quality at-bats. I think that’s starting to happen for me and stuff is starting to happen. Controlling what I can, which is what I’ve learned throughout my career.”

Jansen, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Blue Jays, will now return to Toronto for the first time in a Rays uniform. He played at Rogers Centre once last year with Boston.

“Spent a lot of time there,” Jansen said. “So, it’s cool to get back and see people.”

Home sweet home

It’s not terribly unusual to see slight differences between a hitter’s performance at home and on the road. There are plenty of variables that can account for small, but meaningful, gaps. In Junior Caminero’s case this season, the difference is hard to explain.

Caminero is hitting .298 with seven home runs in 104 at-bats at Steinbrenner Field. On the road, the 21-year-old is hitting .122 with no home runs in 41 at-bats. The difference in OPS is .862 to .330.

“He has certainly held his own for a very young, talented player,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I do think that he’s learning a little bit about himself and where pitchers are trying to execute pitches to get him out. I’m going to bet that Junior is going to have answers as we move forward, because he is so talented.”

Dia de las Madres

If you noticed Jonathan Aranda wearing Mother’s Day cleats during Saturday’s game, it was no accident. Mother’s Day in Mexico is always celebrated on May 10, so Aranda put on his specially made pink cleats — with “I love you Mom” on the backside — a day ahead of the U.S. holiday so his mother could see on Saturday’s TV broadcast.

“She means the world to me. She’s always been that steady rock that’s been in my life,” Aranda said through team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “There’s no words, or anything I can do, to show my appreciate for her as a mother.”

Relief for relievers

The Rays went into Sunday having played more one-run games than any team in the American League. So, it’s probably no surprise that high-leverage relievers Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta and Manny Rodriguez are all on pace to eclipse 70 appearances this season, which would shatter the career high for all three pitchers.

“You go over many, many seasons here, that’s kind of the way we are built,” Cash said. “Do everything we can to have as close to a version of a lockdown bullpen that we feel good about many guys coming out with leads.”

Miscellany

For the second day in a row, the start of the game was delayed by rain. The game started 40 minutes late but was not interrupted once the first pitch was thrown … The double play Caminero hit into in the eighth inning was his 11th of the season, which leads the majors. He grounded into only two double plays in 2024 …. Eric Orze had thrown 5 ⅓ shutout innings across four appearances before giving up a run in the eighth … Once again, the Rays announced a sellout crowd of 10,046 despite entire rows of empty seats in multiple sections.

• • •

Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.

Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.

Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.

After a slow start, Rays’ Danny Jansen has a happier streak to focus on

Tags: