The Los Angeles Dodgers came away with an 8-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night at Coors Field, and finished the game off without their closer, Kenley Jansen.
During the game, reports were that Jansen was out due to “illness,” but it was later revealed that he was hospitalized due to an irregular heartbeat. Jansen will reportedly miss the remainder of the Dodgers’ series in Denver and is flying back to Los Angeles to be examined by a cardiologist.
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 (@ByMcCullough) August 10, 2018
Kenley Jansen is heading back to LA to be examined by his cardiologist. He’s dealing with an irregular heartbeat which he’s experienced before, particularly in a Denver.
— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) August 10, 2018
As SportsNetLA’s Alanna Rizzo notes above, this isn’t the first time Jansen has had an irregular heartbeat, and it’s not the first time in Denver either.
In July 2011, Kenley Jansen was placed on the disabled list for an irregular heartbeat after the Dodgers played the Rockies in Los Angeles. And in Aug. 2012, the issue returned when Jansen was in Denver to face the Rockies. Jansen then underwent a heart procedure in Oct. 2012 (via ESPN.Com):
On Tuesday, Dr. Koonwalee Nademanee performed a catheter ablation on the 25-year-old Jansen. In a roughly three-hour procedure, Nademanee identified the abnormal tissue in the left atrium of Jansen’s heart and cauterized it to stop it from generating abnormal electrical signals. The Dodgers said Jansen’s heart was beating in a normal rhythm after the surgery.
So, you can be sure that Jansen and the Dodgers are going to be particularly cautious with this scary situation.
Jansen, 30, has a 2.15 ERA and 32 saves for the Dodgers in 2018. The three-time All-Star signed a five-year, $80 contract with Los Angeles before the 2017 season.
