The Braves placed closer Kenley Jansen on the injured list Tuesday morning with an irregular heartbeat ahead of the first of a three-game series against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Jansen has a heart condition that has led to multiple heart procedures during his likely Hall of Fame career. He most recently underwent surgery in November 2018 after experiencing an irregular heartbeat three months earlier.
This is a big and scary loss for the Braves. Jansen, signed in the offseason to a one-year, $16 million contract, is 20 for 24 in save chances and leads the National League with 27 games finished. He's struck out 47 and walked 8 in 32⅔ innings.
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One of the four blown saves came in his only appearance this season against the Phillies on May 24 in Atlanta. That was the night Bryce Harper hit a go-ahead two-run homer off of Jansen in the ninth only for the Phillies to lose via walk-off. Both players will miss this series. Harper will undergo surgery on his broken left thumb but is not expected to miss the rest of the season.
The Braves are positioned to withstand the loss of Jansen with lefty Will Smith, the closer on last year's World Series team. Smith saved 37 games in 2021 and led the majors by finishing 60. He has a 3.43 ERA since the start of last season.
A.J. Minter, another lefty, has been dominant this season with a 1.69 ERA in a majors-leading 34 appearances. He's struck out 43 and walked 5 in 32 innings.
Still, neither has the track record of Jansen and this will diminish the Braves' ability to match up late in games if one lefty has to close and the other is required to set up.
MLB
The Braves have been the best team in the NL in June. They're 19-5 and lead the league in runs, homers, extra-base hits, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging.
The Phillies have Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and Aaron Nola going in the series. The Braves counter with Charlie Morton, Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson, three right-handers. Morton has pitched well his last two times out but has a 4.84 ERA on the season. Wright has allowed 21 hits and nine runs in his last 11⅓ innings. Anderson has given up four or more earned runs in five of his last seven starts.
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