Heart issues have been a problem for Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen for many years now, and that was again the case in 2018.
During a trip to Colorado to play the Rockies in August, Jansen dealt with an irregular heartbeat that caused him to miss the entire series and fly back to Los Angeles for further testing.
He wound up missing a couple weeks due to the issue, and the doctor recommended that Jansen undergo heart surgery at the conclusion of the season. The surgery would be Jansen’s second after first getting one in 2012.
Jansen was able to get through the end of the season by taking medications that made him sleepy and feel like a different person, but now that the 2018 season is over, Jansen’s surgery is officially scheduled for sometime in November, via Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA:
Jansen said his heart surgery is scheduled for next month.
— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) October 29, 2018
By getting the surgery at the beginning of the offseason, Jansen should be healed and 100 percent ready to go by the start of Spring Training in 2019.
The 2018 season is one Jansen would certainly like to forget as although he was named an All-Star for the third straight season and the Dodgers once again made it to the World Series, Jansen had perhaps his worst Major League season.
Some of his struggles can certainly be attributed to the heart and personal issues he was forced to deal with, so he will be looking forward to a clean bill of health and an opportunity to bounce back in 2019.
One thing to keep an eye on is if Jansen will be able to travel with the team to Colorado next season as the high altitude there is what has caused his heart issues on multiple occasions.
