Clayton Kershaw made his second rehab start as he works his way toward joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, with his latest outing coming with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.
After an efficient start for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets last week when he threw just 30 pitches over three innings, Kershaw had to labor more in his latest outing.
Kershaw threw 60 pitches over three-plus innings in his start with the Drillers. He pitched into the fourth inning but issued a leadoff walk and single before exiting the game.
The left-hander allowed a double to Peyton Wilson start his night, and he then ended up scoring on a wild pitch.
That was followed by a double from Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone before Kershaw struck out his first batter of the game and forced a pop out to end the inning.
Kershaw bounced back in the second inning to strike out the next two batters he faced before a fielding error put a runner on. The next batter grounded out to end the inning.
In the third, Kershaw added another strikeout to his line, but also a single to Caglianone before tossing his second straight scoreless inning.
In his three-plus innings of work, Kershaw allowed one run on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Kershaw is currently working his way back from offseason surgeries for a bone spur in his left toe and torn meniscus in his left knee.
Although Kershaw is already in the midst of his rehab assignment, he still remains weeks away from joining the Dodgers. The earliest that would occur is Saturday, May 17, when Kershaw is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list.
When discussing his outlook and potential timeline for the season, the 37-year-old pointed to June as the likely point for his return.
Clayton Kershaw expanding pitch mix?
Kershaw’s first rehab start also offered a glimpse of a possible shift in his pitch usage for 2025, with more changeups and a sinker that emphasizes horizontal movement.
While Kershaw has a plan for how he wants to utilize his sinker, he wants to build more confidence in his changeup if he is to throw it with a lot more regularity this season.
“I don’t know,” Kershaw said about potentially throwing both pitches more this season. “I want it to be more of a runner, not a sinker. Kind of go straight across to lefties. Right now my changeup feels OK, so we’ll see if that lasts. For right now, I feel like I can at least throw it a little bit.
“I’d like to be able to, but we’ll see.”
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