Clayton Kershaw has progressed faster than anyone could have predicted as he makes his way back to the Los Angeles Dodgers after undergoing left shoulder surgery during the offseason.
Kershaw began a rehab assignment on Wednesday with the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. After allowing a triple and sacrifice fly in the first inning, he came back to pitch two scoreless frames.
Kershaw finished his outing throwing 36 pitches (26 strikes) over three innings, allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
“I think it was good,” Kershaw said after his outing. “I checked off a lot of boxes, got through three innings. First time in a game setting and all those things. So it was fun to get back out there, I hadn’t done that in a while.
“So as long as everything comes out tomorrow fine, I think I’m on for the next one.”
This presents the first time Kershaw has attempted to return from surgery. The left-hander has dealt with numerous ailments in the past, but none have required him to go under the knife.
Getting back on the mound presented a significant moment in his recovery, but the future Hall of Famer isn’t putting much added emphasis on it.
“I think the significance will be making it back to the big leagues,” Kershaw said. “I think this is just another step in the process.
“It doesn’t mean it’s not important, but ultimately, all this is for nothing if I don’t make it back. So it’s a good step. I’m not getting too high or too low, just trying to make it through three or four more starts and kind of see where I’m at.”
Kershaw mixed in all his pitches, including the changeup and two-seam fastball, but three of his five strikeouts came on his curveball.
“It felt fine today,” Kershaw said of the curveball. “I think I probably threw more strikes than I probably would’ve expected, honestly, but yeah, I thought it went alright.”
His stuff looked sharp overall, considering it was his first outing back, but that wasn’t something Kershaw was focused on. At this point in his rehab, it’s just about making sure he’s healthy and building up his arm.
“Honestly, I was just more focused on getting it done tonight,” Kershaw said. “Going out there and getting up and down for three innings and trying to make some pitches when I needed to. And the stuff is okay, it’s getting better.
“So hopeful that over time, you start working more on pitching and less about health, and get ready to go.”
The outlook for Kershaw is becoming more clear, but the Dodgers are not going to rush him back. The plan is for Kershaw to take at least three or four more rehab starts, but that could change dependent on other factors.
“We’ll see. I mean, it’s all dependent on the next one,” Kershaw said. “As long as you keep doing well on the next one, and then you got to see where the team’s at as well, see what the need is up there, obviously. So there’s a lot of X-factors that some of them are in my control, but some of them aren’t.
“So we’ll just see how the next one goes and go from there.”
Clayton Kershaw finds value in rehab starts
Although no player wants to be on a rehab assignment and would rather be healthy with their Major League club, Kershaw is aware of the importance of these starts.
“Well I never said there wasn’t value in it,” Kershaw said. “I mean, there’s a ton of value in doing rehab starts. It’s just no fun. The pitches that you throw, you want to make them count in the big leagues. So that’s my goal, obviously, is to get back and do that.
“But like I said before, something you got to do, and they make it great here for me, and family came out, so it was a great experience so far, at least until tomorrow, see how it goes.”
The good news for Kershaw is he sees the Minor League rehab starts as a bit more intense than Spring Training, which should help him get into game shape slightly faster than a normal February to March build up.
“I think a rehab start, a night game in front of a few more fans and things like that, it just feels a little bit more, maybe a little bit more intense than a Spring Training game,” he said. “Obviously, the competition is maybe different, but I don’t know, it feels like you’re a little further along than that.”
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