The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently in the midst of a tight division race with less than two months to go in the season, and unfortunately, they are without All-Star closer Kenley Jansen.
During the team’s recent trip to Colorado to play the Rockies, Jansen dealt with an irregular heartbeat, which is something that is familiar to him. He was forced to fly back to Los Angeles to meet with a cardiologist after being placed on the 10-day disabled list.
There still has not been a set timetable mentioned for Jansen as he is scheduled for a follow-up appointment on Aug. 20. Multiple reports did suggest he would be sidelined for four to six weeks, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged one month was a reasonable expectation.
But speaking publicly for the first time since dealing with the heart trouble, Jansen said he is confident he will able to return quicker than that, via Doug Padilla of MLB.com:
His timetable for a return remains uncertain, but Jansen sounded confident he will return before the four-to-six-week recovery time that was originally reported.
“I feel much better; health-wise everything feels good,” said Jansen, who has started taking blood thinners to help him to correct his latest issue with atrial fibrillation. “The minute they shocked me back in, I felt better. I feel great just working out again.”
While the final decision will ultimately be up to the cardiologist, Jansen being optimistic that he can return sooner is certainly good news for the Dodgers, who have missed him greatly the last few days. They suffered consecutive walk-off losses to Rockies, then blew a lead in the ninth inning to the San Francisco Giants.
Jansen has had surgery on his heart after dealing with this issue on the past, and he believes that he may require another operation one this offseason to again address the heart issue.
