When the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Clayton Kershaw on the 10-day disabled list this season it marked a third time in as many years and a fourth instance in the past five seasons they faced life without their ace.
Whereas Kershaw was sidelined by back trouble in 2014, ’16 and ’17, this season brought about a new injury in the form of left biceps tendinitis. There was enough concern that he underwent an MRI, which produced a clean bill of health for Kershaw’s throwing shoulder and elbow.
The Dodgers did not release a timetable for his return, though Kershaw quickly resumed throwing from flat ground. As the intensity of his throwing increased with each passing day, Kershaw over the weekend advanced to throw his first bullpen since being put on the DL.
No longer feeling the effects of the tendinitis, he’s scheduled to throw another with a simulated game tentatively scheduled for a few days later, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“He’s going to throw a bullpen [session] on Wednesday, around 30 or 40 pitches, then a simulated situation on Saturday, three or four innings up and down,” said Roberts. “If that goes well, then we can figure out where to pencil him in.”
Roberts said Kershaw is symptom-free from the biceps tendinitis that put him on the disabled list after his May 1 start in Arizona.
“Now it’s just more of executing pitches and building back his arm,” Roberts said.
If Kershaw gets through the simulated game without suffering any setback, it would leave him on track to return late next week, perhaps for the four-game series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Beyond the obvious benefit that comes with gaining the services of a three-time Cy Young Award winner, adding Kershaw back to the fold would further been a boon for a starting rotation that’s also lost Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu to injury.
Ryu suffered a severe groin strain that’s expected to keep him out until after the All-Star break, and Hill recently had the blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand rip open. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts estimated Hill would spend at least four weeks on the disabled list.
