Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen could be out until September
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will not pitch until undergoing a follow-up examination on his irregular heartbeat on Aug. 20. In addressing Jansen’s timetable for the first time since his episode on Thursday, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman sounded optimistic about Jansen’s long-term status but cautioned he may not be available until September.
Jansen left the team Friday for tests in Los Angeles after experiencing a recurrence of the symptoms that plagued him on multiple occasions. He underwent an ablation to correct the issue in 2012, but the symptoms returned upon arrival in Denver late Wednesday night.
“The quality-of-life aspect, his health, is the most important thing,” Friedman said Saturday. “When we get to [Aug. 20], I think we’ll start thinking about the baseball part, as the cardiologist tells us we can. And start thinking through how to keep him in as good a shape as we can, based on what he’s able to do.”
Friedman described the results of Jansen’s examinations as “positive,” with Jansen in stable condition and his heart issues considered manageable. Friedman indicated Jansen may be cleared for physical activity before Aug. 20 but would not be allowed to appear in a game. It is “certainly possible” Jansen would be able to pitch Aug. 21, Friedman said.
Jansen will not require immediate surgery, Friedman said.
“Everything was discussed,” Friedman said. “But it’s not necessary right now.”
Jansen dealt with similar symptoms in 2011 and 2012. He sat out a month in 2011 and three weeks in 2012. He had an episode related to the Coors Field altitude in 2015, but returned to the mound a few days later.
Jansen has expressed his hope to the Dodgers that he will be able to pitch by the time the team returns to Denver on Sept. 7. The team will continue to allow him to play in the thin air here, despite his issues in the past.
“He’s in a really good frame of mind,” Friedman said. “We’ll hold down the fort for him and be ready to receive him with open arms when he’s ready.”
Until that day arrives, the team will improvise. These are dire times for manager Dave Roberts’ bullpen. He lacks many pitchers he can trust. And now he will be without his three-time All-Star closer.
Scott Alexander earned a save Thursday. After starting Friday, Kenta Maeda will likely return to the bullpen and split save opportunities with Alexander. The Dodgers can also deploy Alexander or Maeda in the highest-leverage moments of the game, using less reliable but still useful relievers like J.T. Chargois or Dylan Floro for the final innings.
The team had hoped to shift its bullpen into place by October. The loss of Jansen accelerates the timetable. The Dodgers will activate Alex Wood from the disabled list to start Tuesday against San Francisco, and will do the same for Hyun-Jin Ryu later in the week. Wood and Ross Stripling are candidates to stabilize the bullpen, given the team’s surplus of starting pitchers.
“We feel good about the number of quality pitchers we have,” Friedman said. “Now we just have to figure out roles and figure out how to best line them up to help us win games.”
Twitter: @McCulloughTimes
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