Dodgers will begin the season without a closer after Kenley Jansen injures foot.

Kenley Jansen

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen saved 44 games in 2014, his first full season as the Dodgers’ closer. (Getty Images)

About a month ago, I wrote that the Dodgers’ bullpen could be a weakness if Kenley Jansen got hurt.

We’re about to find out if that’s true.

Jansen, who saved 44 games in 49 opportunities in his first full season as the Dodgers’ closer last year, had surgery Tuesday to remove a growth from a bone in his left foot. He is expected to miss the next 8-12 weeks.

The 27-year-old pitcher had been training at Dodger Stadium since January. According to the team, Jansen first reported discomfort in his left foot while running last week. A subsequent x-ray, MRI and CT scan showed the problem in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot. The surgery was performed by Drs. Earl Brien and David Thordarson under the direction of Dr. Neal ElAttrache at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Jansen will be on crutches for about 10 days and then a boot for 3-4 weeks, according to the team. How he progresses during the rehab process will determine his exact timeframe for returning to competition.

An 8-12 week timeframe almost certainly would put Jansen on the disabled list to begin the season. Opening Day is less than seven weeks away.

The list of in-house candidates to close for the Dodgers is long but undistinguished: Brandon League, Joel Peralta, J.P. Howell, Pedro Baez, Juan Nicasio and Chris Hatcher.

League has 74 career saves and more experience closing than Jansen. But he lost his closer’s job after blowing five of 19 opportunities last season. He’s in the final year of a three-year $22.5 million contract signed after the 2012 season.

Howell has 21 saves in his career and Peralta has 12. David Aardsma, a non-roster invitee, has 69.

Jansen and the Dodgers recently avoided salary arbitration with a one-year, $7.4 million contract.

Two free agent pitchers, Francisco Rodriguez (348) and Rafael Soriano (207), have more career saves than anyone in the Dodgers’ camp. Both pitchers closed for playoff-contending teams last season.

The Dodgers are believed to have made contact with Scott Boras, the agent for both pitchers, early in the off-season but not since. More recently, they had been looking to acquire a reliever via trade. It’s too soon to say if Jansen’s injury changes their outlook.

The silver lining, if there is one: Pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training in two days. The Dodgers go into camp knowing they’ll need to identify a replacement closer for the first month of the regular season, at most. There’s still plenty of time to find a good one.