In the past week alone, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation was bolstered by the returns of Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill. Another key cog that could soon follow suit is Clayton Kershaw, who has been sidelined with a lower back strain since the end of May.
Kershaw made progress in his recovery this week, throwing multiple bullpen sessions without experiencing any setbacks. He took one step closer in returning by throwing a 45-pitch simulated game at Wrigley Field earlier this week.
Kershaw is now tabbed for a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday and could potentially rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation next week if all goes well.
Should that be the case, it would mark Kershaw’s return to the club in less than a month’s time since being placed on the disabled list. For comparison, he missed nearly six weeks last season while making his way back from a similar injury.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner couldn’t explain why his recovery process has been quicker this time around, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I didn’t really have any expectations,” he said. “But, yeah, it has gone faster (than last year). I don’t know why. Maybe it (the strain) wasn’t as bad. Maybe it just healed faster. Maybe it’s the time of year. I don’t know.”
For Kershaw to recover as quickly as he did is certainly a welcome boost that the Dodgers presumably weren’t expecting to get. The initial timetable called for the 30-year-old to miss a minimum of four weeks.
Once he’s cleared to be activated, Kershaw looks to build on his previous success before landing on the DL a second time this season. In eight starts, he has posted a 2.76 ERA, 3.46 FIP and 1.12 WHIP over 49 innings pitched with 53 strikeouts to only 11 walks.
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