Clayton Kershaw has dealt with a left shoulder injury since June 27 when he asked Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to take him out of the game after just 79 pitches through six scoreless innings against the Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers and Kershaw first downplayed the injury, suggesting it was just a minor thing that wouldn’t need a stint on the 15-day injured list. However, he ended up going on the IL on July 3 with what the Dodgers called left shoulder soreness.
The 35-year-old was treated with a cortisone injection and projected to return right after the All-Star break. After undergoing an MRI, it was then determined Kershaw would not be able to return until the beginning of August at the earliest.
Still, Kershaw is making progress and is expected to throw his first bullpen session since suffering the shoulder injury, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Left-hander Clayton Kershaw plans to throw a bullpen session Tuesday afternoon, his first since experiencing shoulder discomfort during his June 27 start in Colorado.
Kershaw continued playing catch while resting his shoulder, but he was limited to light throwing on flat ground. The injury also left Kershaw feeling frustrated as it represented another year of spending time on the IL.
“You sign up to pitch a full season,” Kershaw said. “There’s no reason to take a break just to take a break. I don’t think that does anything. So for me, it’s disappointing.”
In addition, Kershaw was forced to miss the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, being replaced by David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The future Hall of Famer is 10-4 with a 2.55 and 1.05 WHIP through 16 starts this season and the Dodgers will need him healthy in October if they want to make a deep postseason run.
Clayton Kershaw among top-selling MLB jerseys
The Dodgers were prominently featured on the list of the top-20 selling MLB jerseys for the first half of the 2023 season, with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Kershaw all making the cut.
Betts placed sixth, Freeman was 16th and Kershaw checked in at 20th. Rankings were based on Nike jersey sales from MLBShop.com since Opening Day.
Kershaw has been a mainstay in MLB jersey sales over recent years, topping out at No. 4 in 2017 and 2018. The same applies to Freeman, who has appeared on the annual list in every season since 2017.
Betts has consistently been among the leaders in jersey sales since his trade to the Dodgers prior to the 2020 season.
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