Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman announced Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for High-A Rancho Cucamonga in a rehab assignment this weekend. Friedman delivered the news Thursday night at the third annual “Dodgers All-Access” at Dodger Stadium.
The event is presented by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC). Friedman did set a specific date for Kershaw’s return to game action, only saying the ace would “pitch this weekend.”
Friedman also didn’t specify how many rehab games Kershaw would start. Considering Kershaw threw two innings in a simulated game on Tuesday, a start on Sunday, when he would be on normal rest, appears to be the safe bet.
Assuming all continues to go well and looking further down the road, Kershaw conceivably could join the Dodgers on Friday, Sept. 9 in Miami.
That would put him on scheduled turns to face the New York Yankees (Sept. 14), San Francisco Giants (Sept. 19), Colorado Rockies (Sept. 24) and Giants a second time (Sept. 30).
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously said the club envisioned Kershaw making multiple starts prior to being reinstated from the disabled list. However, the left-handed ace successfully negotiated otherwise.
That the 28-year-old is slated to take the next step in his recovery from a mild disc herniation is further indication Kershaw is likely to return within the coming weeks. A simulated game in mid-July led to back pain that halted his recovery.
Kershaw last pitched for the Dodgers on June 26. Without him, the club has stormed to the top of the National League West standings. While the Dodgers have managed to press forward, getting length out of their starters has been an issue.
What’s more, Kershaw has since been joined on the disabled list by Brett Anderson, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Dodgers are expecting the returns of Anderson, Kazmir, Kershaw, McCarthy and Alex Wood this month.
Ryu also expressed a desire to contribute down the stretch this season, though he is facing an uphill battle.
