The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Kenley Jansen underwent successful heart surgery on Monday. The ablation procedure was performed by Dr. Koonlawee Nademanee in Los Angeles.
An update on Jansen’s recovery time was was not specified, though the club reiterated Jansen is expected to make a full recovery in time for Spring Training and be available come Opening Day of the 2019 season. Jansen previously set the initial expectation of needing two to eight weeks, with more time only required if there were abnormalities found.
That Jansen would possibly undergo a second heart surgery became a reality in August when he suffered from an irregular heartbeat while the Dodgers were in Colorado. He was taken the hospital and returned to Los Angeles without pitching in the weekend series at Coors Field.
Jansen previously dealt with heart trouble during a trip to Denver in 2011, managed to still pitch in a game but then was taken to the hospital. That was where Jansen learned he had atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).
Thank you for good thoughts, kind messages and prayers. 🙏🏽 @Dodgers @mlb #ChristmasSpirit #StrongerThanEver2019 pic.twitter.com/yPwuRL4sJ5
— Kenley Jansen (@kenleyjansen74) November 27, 2018
He was prescribed blood-thinning medication and spent one month on the disabled list. Jansen suffered from an irregular heartbeat during a 2012 game at Coors Field, and in June 2015 had high blood pressure, felt fatigued and battled headaches.
Jansen underwent a procedure to address his irregular heartbeat in October 2012 and missed roughly one week before he was able to resume workouts. This year, Jansen was placed on the 10-day disabled list and administered medication.
However, a side effect was drowsiness and lack of adrenaline. Jansen stopped taking the medication but later resumed at a lower dosage. He nonetheless endured a down season, which Dodgers of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman attributed to mechanics.
Even with his struggles, Jansen earned a selection to a third consecutive All-Star Game. Next season will be his third since re-signing with the Dodgers on a five-year, $80 million contract.
