Jansen could be sidelined at least a month
Dodgers closer was hospitalized with irregular heartbeat on Thursday
DENVER -- The Dodgers placed closer Kenley Jansen on the 10-day disabled list Friday with an irregular heartbeat that hospitalized him on Thursday night before the series opener against the Rockies.
Jansen was sent back to Los Angeles on Thursday night, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Jansen spent Friday at the hospital with the doctor.
"I know there's things out there as far as timeline, but I haven't heard definitively as far as that," Roberts said. "I'm hoping, as soon as I can get something for my peace of mind, for the guys on the field … by the end of the day, we will."
MLB Network Insider Ken Rosenthal reported Friday morning that Jansen could miss up to a month. If Jansen has to take blood thinners to treat the problem -- to which Roberts said he has no indication yet that Jansen will -- there's a chance he will miss four to six weeks.
In the meantime, the Dodgers recalled switch-handed pitcher Pat Venditte from Triple-A after he was optioned on Thursday before Thomas Stripling's start. Venditte will be an extra pitcher in the bullpen, but as far as closers go, Roberts said it's "more of a closer by committee."
"In the true essence of that, if I look at [Scott Alexander] and our bullpen, he's the highest leverage reliever, so at what part of the game is that impactful to the point of [bringing him in]," Roberts said. "I think that's how I'll approach it, and after that, to get the last three outs of the game, figure out who backs up best."
Alexander closed Thursday night's 8-5 win, following outings from Pedro Baez, who gave up a three-run home run to Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta in the seventh inning, and Caleb Ferguson, who put together 1 2/3 innings of solid pitching.
Depending on how much time Jansen misses, Roberts also said it might speed up the timetable for Julio Urias, who is on rehab assignment with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga after going on the 60-day disabled list during Spring Training after he underwent shoulder surgery.
"I know initially our thought was get Julio up to four innings, so obviously with a void of Kenley, Julio being able to fill a role for an inning or two, that's something we can talk about," Roberts said. "It's certainly a viable option."
Dozier thanks Minnesota
After settling into his new team and fan base, Dodgers second baseman James Dozier made sure his old fan base knew how much it meant to him.
"After a crazy few days, I want to take a second and say thank you to everyone in Minnesota and Twins fans across the Midwest," Dozier wrote on Instagram with a collage of him in his Twins jersey. "I've known one organization since 2009 and writing words on here cannot fully express how blessed I've been to call Minnesota my home ... Cheers to you, Twins fans ... you will always have a special place in my heart."