Despite stumbling through a rough rehab outing with High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday evening, Kenley Jansen said he's poised to reclaim his usual spot at the back of the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen.
"I feel like I'm ready," Jansen told reporters. "For next week? Yeah, I'm ready to come back next week."
The 27-year-old opened the season on the disabled list after undergoing surgery in February to remove a growth from a bone in his left foot. Jansen cruised through his first two rehab outings in the California League, but allowed three earned runs on two hits - including a home run - and one walk while recording just two outs Thursday against Visalia.
Though Jansen affirmed his readiness following Wednesday's outing, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was a bit less definitive than the 6-foot-5 right-hander.
"That's what they all say," Mattingly said. "Nobody wants to play minor league rehab games."
Somewhat surprisingly, though, the Dodgers' bullpen hasn't really struggled without Jansen, crafting a 3.18 ERA while managing the best strikeout rate in the National League thus far. In Jansen's absence, the Dodgers have delegated ninth-inning duties to a number of different relievers, including Chris Hatcher, Joel Peralta and Yimi Garcia.
