Kenley Jansen has been sidelined since August 27 after a re-occurrence of his irregular heartbeat, but yesterday he was examined by a specialist and told that he’ll likely be able to pitch again by the middle of the month.
Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times reports that Jansen will take blood thinners for the next 10 days before potentially coming back around September 17, although doctors have advised the Dodgers closer that he’ll need surgery once the season is over.
According to Dilbeck “the heart procedure Jansen is considering is called cardiac ablation, which typically inserts a small catheter through a vein and through to the heart, where an electrical charge is used to destroy the problem areas of the heart.”
Jansen seems optimistic about undergoing the surgery because it would allow him to cease taking medication and obviously the fact that doctors think he can pitch again this season is a positive sign. He hasn’t become a household name yet, but Jansen has been as good as any reliever in baseball since debuting in 2010 and has thrived as a closer this year with a 2.54 ERA and 86/19 K/BB ratio in 57 innings.
