Braves place closer Kenley Jansen on 15-day IL with irregular heartbeat
Thanks to their red-hot June , the Atlanta Braves have crept back into the race in the NL East and enter Tuesday just five games behind the first-place New York Mets. The defending World Series champions will be without three-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen for at least the next couple of weeks though.
After spending the first 12 seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jansen signed a one-year, $16 million contract with Atlanta in March. In 32 appearances with his new squad thus far, the 34-year-old has gone 4-0 with a 3.58 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and has recorded 20 saves in 24 opportunities, while recording 47 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.
The heart problems have been a recurring issue for Jansen over his big league career.
"He had an ablation procedure in November 2018 to address atrial fibrillation triggered by the high altitude in Denver, Colo., earlier that year. He also underwent a similar procedure following the 2012 season," a report from The Athletic reads. "Jansen dealt with an irregular heartbeat during the 2011 season, too. He was treated in a hospital and wound up missing the next month."
Jansen leads the NL with 27 games finished entering Tuesday.
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