Kenley Jansen set for heart surgery

After a mid-season scare that landed Kenley Jansen on the DL, the 31-year-old will have heart surgery. The procedure is scheduled for November 26.

The recovery period could be as little as two weeks, but could also take up to eight. The good news for Jansen and the Dodgers is he’s expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Jansen spoke about the procedure while attending the Dodgers’ annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway on Friday.

“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. “But if something is abnormal, then I’ll be down for eight weeks. But I still can do all my stuff to get ready for Opening Day.”

In August, Jansen experienced an irregular heartbeat while in Denver. He was sent back to Los Angeles, and was placed on the DL. He was expected to miss at least a month, but came back after only two weeks.

For Jansen, this isn’t the first time he’s missed time due to an irregular heartbeat. He missed time back in 2011 and 2012, and underwent a similar procedure in October of 2012.

In 2018, Jansen was second in the national league with 38 saves. His 3.01 ERA was the highest of his career.