Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen likely out for a month after irregular heartbeat issues
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was reportedly taken to a hospital Thursday due to an irregular heartbeat during the team’s road series against the Colorado Rockies.
Jansen is now set to fly back to Los Angeles and will be unavailable the Dodgers’ series in Colorado, manager Dave Roberts told a group of reporters including the Los Angeles Times’ Andy McCullough.
Kenley Jansen was taken to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat, Dave Roberts said. Jansen is flying back to Los Angeles and will not be available for this series.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) August 10, 2018
An update on Jansen came on Friday morning, and it looks like he’s going to be out longer than just one series.
Sources: Kenley Jansen is expected to miss about a month as he goes through treatment for his irregular heartbeat.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 10, 2018
An irregular heartbeat is particularly concerning news for Jansen given his past heart issues. The Dodgers closer underwent a procedure in 2012 to correct an irregular heartbeat and missed time in the preceding two seasons due to atrial fibrillation. Jansen later had to leave the Coors Field bullpen in 2015 when he felt ill. While Jansen’s past history does make this more worrisome, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted on Friday that Jansen’s condition is “very manageable.”
Jansen experiencing issues again at Coors Field likely isn’t a coincidence, as the high altitude of Denver has caused issues for certain athletes in the past.
Jansen is in the middle of yet another strong season finishing games for the Dodgers, holding a 2.15 ERA with 61 strikeouts and a league-leading 32 saves in 54.1 innings. While missing a month certainly isn’t ideal for the Dodgers, who are in the middle of a tough fight in the National League West, he’ll likely be back in time for the home stretch of the season, and then the playoffs — if the Dodgers make it that far.
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