When Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen underwent bone-graft surgery in his left foot in February, worry was a natural reaction. The front office spent the winter re-making the bullpen, going from a roster rich with rich former closers into a younger, less experienced unit.
Here we are on May 15, Jansen hasn’t pitched an inning and the Dodgers’ bullpen has been one of the most reliable in the majors.
Of course, rookie Yimi Garcia has blown two saves in two opportunities this week, so maybe Jansen is returning to the active roster at a good time. Still, he won’t be the Dodgers’ closer tonight and Jansen is OK with that. Actually, he prefers it this way.
“At least I’ll get an inning to get my feel back,” Jansen said. “That will tell me if I’m ready for it, or if I’ll need one more inning. I can do that job, but I just need to feel comfortable again first. It’s not fair for me to go in there right away with the bases loaded and no room for error my first time.”
Left-hander Daniel Coulombe, who was recalled from Oklahoma City on Thursday, was optioned back to the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate to make room for Jansen.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that Jansen will get the ninth inning back at some point. The rest of the relievers, meanwhile, will continue in their loosely-defined roles, prioritizing the matchup over the inning.
“The way Lib (Adam Liberatore) has been throwing the ball, it’s tough to say ‘that’s the eighth inning guy’ with three out of four lefties coming up,” Mattingly said.
Jansen deserves credit not just for completing his rehab, but for his ability to foretell the future. Back on April 7 he said “middle of May, I’ll be back at Dodger Stadium.” Jansen couldn’t have been more accurate.
The rehab process, he said, “was very challenging, just learning how to be patient with this injury. But I’m glad I went through it. The good thing was that I was able to rest my arm a little bit, so the operation helped me a lot. I did everything that they wanted me to do, and I’m ready to pitch again.”