The Los Angeles Dodgers announced this past week that the team’s star closer, Kenley Jansen, a National League All-Star in 2018, will undergo his second cardiac ablation surgery this coming Monday. The surgery comes after undergoing the same surgery six years ago after experiencing issues with an irregular heartbeat.
During a road trip to Denver to face the division rival Colorado Rockies this past season, Kenley Jansen had to be rushed by plane home to Los Angeles after experiencing irregular heartbeats and shortness of breath in the altitudes the players were in during the series. Jansen thankfully hadn’t left from team’s hotel en route for Coors Field, so his travel out of Denver was much quicker. Jansen’s doctor confirmed that the irregular heartbeats were an effect of the thin air in the heights of Colorado.
It was announced soon after the 2018 incident that Jansen would receive surgery following the season’s end to correct the issue. Jansen has scheduled the procedure for Monday, November 26th. The Dodgers and their medical staff have said that Jansen’s recovery time ranges from two to eight weeks, meaning he should be healed and cleared by team doctors in time to pitch during the Dodgers’ 2019 Spring Training program.
Kenley Jansen converted 38 saves for the Dodgers in 2018 and finished as a finalist for the Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year award, an honor Jansen won in both 2016 and 2017.
Arrick Joel has covered the Dodgers since 2017, and for Dodgers-LowDown since 2018. Follow @ArrickJoel and @DodgersLowDown on Twitter for more.