Clayton Kershaw played catch Wednesday for a third day in a row and is steadily making progress with a throwing program as he works toward returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation.
“I think he got out to 90 (feet) and then it’ll probably be the 120 [Thursday],” manager Dave Roberts said. “Then 150 and once we get him off the mound throwing a ‘pen, we’ll have more clarity where he’s at.”
Kershaw has been on the 10-day injured list since July 7 due to left forearm inflammation. An MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, and Kershaw’s forearm/elbow have improved after a brief stretch of not throwing.
Both he and Roberts have pointed to a return in August as being likely, but neither have provided any details beyond that. A priority has been placed on ensuring Kershaw is healthy and also using this opportunity to get him rest.
“This is something that with the soreness and now taking some time off to build back up for the sprint, I think makes sense and Clayton is on board with that,” Roberts recently said. “I think this is something that once it kind of came about, it made sense to take the time to cut some of the season off and save some bullets for the rest of the season and throughout the postseason.”
The Dodgers used Darien Nuñez as an opener for the first game Kershaw’s spot in the starting rotation came up, but it is expected to now be filled by Josiah Gray moving forward. The Dodgers’ top pitching prospect entered after Nuñez and logged four innings in his MLB debut.
Kershaw World Series champion t-shirt night
In the wake of Trevor Bauer being on administrative leave due to an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual assault, the Dodgers removed his merchandise from team stores at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers also cancelled the Bauer bobblehead night on Aug. 19, and replaced it with a Kershaw world champion t-shirt night.
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