Closer Jansen cleared for return

Dodgers All-Star closer Kenley Jansen was activated off the disabled list earlier than expected after being cleared by a cardiologist.

Manager Dave Roberts said Jansen was available for Monday night’s series opener against the Cardinals.

Jansen hadn’t pitched since Aug. 7 and was on the 10-day DL after being hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat on Aug. 9 when the team was in Denver to play the Rockies.

Jansen was initially expected to miss about a month. He was previously treated for an irregular heartbeat in 2011 and 2012. It’s likely he’ll need offseason surgery to deal with the issue.

“It’s a huge lift,” Roberts said. “He’s the best in the game, so it changes the way they’re (Cardinals) going to manage.”

Jansen is 0-3 with 32 saves and a 2.15 ERA in 51 games. The Dodgers’ bullpen has a 5.17 ERA since Jansen went out.

The Dodgers entered Monday with 23 blown saves, tied with the Rockies for the second-most in the major leagues.

Jansen’s return will allow the team to push converted starter Kenta Maeda and left-hander Scott Alexander, who had been sharing closing duties, to set-up roles and relievers Pedro Baez, J.T. Chargois, Caleb Ferguson, Zac Rosscup and Floro to lowerleverage roles.

Jansen missed a month of the 2011 season and three weeks of 2012 after being prescribed blood thinners for similar heart-related conditions, and he resumed taking the medication after doctors shocked his heart back to normal.

Jansen threw an inning off the Dodger Stadium mound Wednesday and another simulated inning in Seattle on Friday. He said he felt no recurrence of the symptoms.