With the Los Angeles Dodgers days away from facing the Chicago White Sox in their Cactus League opener, manager Dave Roberts announced Daniel Corcino is scheduled to start Saturday. He’ll be followed by Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday, when the Dodgers face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Although a fixture on Opening Day, this marks a second consecutive year Clayton Kershaw is not starting the Dodgers’ first game of the spring. Roberts said when his ace, as well as Walker Buehler, would start, is undecided.
Buehler threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training on Wednesday, which was when Kershaw tossed his third. He’s also completed a round of live batting practice.
However, it wash is latest bullpen session that Kershaw was not pleased with, which prompted Roberts to give him a day off, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I don’t want to overplay it, because I’m going to give him some days off this spring anyway,” said Roberts. “He didn’t say he was hurt, just that it didn’t feel as good as he wanted to feel. Just some frustration. He worked really hard this offseason. I know it’s vague, but right now there’s nothing more to it than that.”
That Roberts indicated Kershaw’s troubles are not health-related is a significant boon for the Dodgers considering his string of back issues.
Kershaw being excused from a workout came at somewhat of an opportune time as inclement weather limited the level of activity at Camelback Ranch. A break in the rain created enough of a window for Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling to throw live batting practice.
Kershaw presumably will resume with his spring workouts in the coming days, as his work ethic suggests the left-hander will sort through struggles by relentlessly honing his craft.
