Report: Dodgers' Kenley Jansen to Undergo Heart Surgery, Expected to Return for Spring Training
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will undergo heart surgery on Nov. 26 and is expected to be fully recovered prior to spring training, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.
Jansen announced the upcoming surgery on Friday at the Dodgers' annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway. Recovery is expected to take anywhere between two to eight weeks depending on what the doctors find during surgery.
"If we don't find anything, so let's say they go in and nothing happens, everything is good, I will be done in two weeks," Jansen said, per Gurnick. "But if something is abnormal, then I'll be down for eight weeks. ... But I still can do all my [offseason work] to get ready for Opening Day."
Jansen suffers from a heart condition that leaves him vulnerable to an irregular heartbeat at high altitude. He experienced an atrial fibrillation in August as a result of his condition and spent time on the Dodgers disabled list as he recovered from the irregular heartbeat. He returned to the mound in late August, earlier than doctors anticipated, and was able to participate in time to help the Dodgers reach the World Series, where they fell to the Boston Red Sox.
The 31-year-old previously underwent surgery in the 2012 offseason when he had a similar procedure done. Jansen underwent a catheter ablation in the left atrium of his heart to cauterize the damaged area and prevent it from generating abnormal electrical signals.
Jansen was selected to his third consecutive All-Star team in 2018. The right-hander recorded 38 saves in 69 appearances, posting a 3.01 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 71.2 innings. He's posted a 2.09 ERA since making his MLB debut in 2010.
