Cora defends Jansen leaving: 'I told Kenley to go home' early

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora had Kenley Jansen's back after being questioned about the veteran reliever leaving the team before the season ended.

"I told Kenley to go home," Cora told reporters Sunday, including MassLive's Christopher Smith.

"If they're upset, they should come to my office and ask me. We talked during the week. There's other stuff that is going on with Kenley, too. But the manager decided for him, 'Hey, we're out of it. So if you want to go home, you go home.' And he went home."

Reporters asked Cora if Jansen's teammates were upset about the right-hander's departure before the season finished, with the manager answering: "I don't know. (James Paxton) is not here. Nobody's talking about that."

However, a reporter pointed out that the team didn't remove Paxton's nameplate as it did with Jansen.

Jansen left the Red Sox prior to their final series of the 2024 campaign on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, which came after Boston placed him on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

The 36-year-old posted a 3.44 ERA and 56 saves across two seasons with the Red Sox but expressed disappointment with his time in Boston during a September interview.