The Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to begin their 12th consecutive postseason appearance next week but continue to receive negative injury news seemingly with each passing day.
Among the latest developments for the Dodgers centers around Clayton Kershaw, Brusdar Graterol and Brent Honeywell. Graterol and Honeywell were both put on the 15-day injured list because of right shoulder inflammation and a cracked right middle fingernail, respectively.
Neither reliever is going to appear in another game to finish the regular season, and the Dodgers likely would need to advance in the postseason for Graterol to potentially become an option.
Honeywell’s October outlook was much less clear even if he had avoided an injury.
Meanwhile, Kershaw has been on the injured list since Aug. 31, which was the day after being removed from a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kershaw pitched just one-plus inning before conceding to a toe injury that prevented him from pushing off the mound.
Clayton Kershaw not making Dodgers postseason roster
One constant since Kershaw’s left big toe became an issue was the Dodgers not committing to a return this year. That remained the case despite the veteran continuing to play catch from flat ground and recently progressing to throwing multiple bullpen sessions.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week that Kershaw’s recovery had stalled and he was in a “holding pattern.”
Roberts offered a more definitive outlook for the 36-year-old when asked Thursday if there had been any changes.
“He’s just not going to be viable for a couple weeks, and then we’ll see what that looks like as far as where our playoff push is,” Roberts said.
Kershaw acknowledged there has not been enough improvement with his ailing toe, which is preventing him from being able to pitch at full exertion.
“It’s progressing, it’s just obviously not as fast as I hoped or wanted,” he said. “There’s slight improvements, like waking up in the morning and pressure I put on it, but it’s just not there yet.”
Not being able to push off the mound like normal has also led to other physical issues that Roberts alluded to and Kershaw declined to provide details for other than explaining it as overcompensating. Because of that, he has stopped throwing bullpen sessions for the time being.
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