It is no secret that Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is one of the biggest competitors in baseball. Whether it be the emotion he shows on the mound and in the dugout, or arguing his case to remain in a game, you’d be hard pressed to find a more fiery player.
Thus, it was no surprise when Kershaw said he wasn’t going to be patient while on the disabled list with a mild disc herniation. It was just the second time in his career he was placed on the DL, and spoke of feeling as though he let his teammates down.
There was positive news in the early going for three-time Cy Young Award winner, as he was said to be recovering ahead of schedule.
However, that changed after Kershaw threw a simulated game and came away with back pain that’s forced his recovery to be shut down. During an appearance on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Pedro Gomez relayed a conversation he had with a Dodgers executive during the All-Star break:
“We wish he would slow down just a little bit. He’s such a competitor that he sets his own timeline.”
While the belief holds that surgery isn’t necessary, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts conceded it’s more of a possibility now than it previously was. There currently isn’t a timetable for Kershaw’s return.
Prior to the injury, Kershaw was perhaps in the midst of his best season. In 16 starts he was 11-2 with a Major-League leading 1.79 ERA, 1.67 FIP and 0.73 WHIP. What’s more, his strikeout to walk ratio of 16.11 would be the best in Major League history if the season were to end today.
The Dodgers have not had the best luck recently in terms of their starting rotation, with Hyun-Jin Ryu landing back on the disabled list with elbow tendonitis and Alex Wood is undergoing an arthroscopic debridement of his left elbow that will shut him down for approximately eight weeks.
