The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a scare on Thursday as All-Star closer Kenley Jansen again experienced an irregular heartbeat and was forced to visit the hospital. That prevented Jansen from being available in Thursday’s series opener against the Colorado Rockies.
Jansen has dealt with similar issues at the high altitude in Colorado in the past, so he hopped on a plane back to Los Angeles to undergo further testing. It was originally reported that the issue would force Jansen to miss around a month of action.
While there still is no set timetable for Jansen yet, he is not going to be back for a while as according to Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times he will be reevaluated on Aug. 20:
Kenley Jansen will have a follow up on his heart condition on Aug. 20, Andrew Friedman said. He may not be available until September.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) August 11, 2018
This is obviously a tough blow for the Dodgers, who are currently in a tight division race with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Rockies, and their bullpen may perhaps be their biggest weakness.
As has been the case all season for their relievers outside of Jansen, they will go with a closer by committee to replace their three-time All-Star.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said the organization may speed up the rehab process of Julio Urias. He was on track to be built up to throw four innings per appearance but that now will be shortened.
This now marks a second time in which the plan for Urias has been adjusted, as the Dodgers previously made a decision to no longer stretch him out as a starter.
Kenta Maeda is also an option to move to the bullpen with Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu due back in the coming weeks.
Jansen has appeared in 51 games for the Dodgers this season, accumulating 32 saves while posting a 2.15 ERA, 3.12 FIP and 0.90 WHIP while striking out 61 and walking 14 in 54.1 innings.
