Clayton Kershaw appears to be closing in on a return to the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation after undergoing offseason surgery on his left shoulder.
Kershaw made his first rehab start on Wednesday with the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. After allowing a triple and sacrifice fly in the first inning, he came back to pitch two scoreless frames.
Kershaw finished his outing throwing 36 pitches (26 strikes) over three innings, allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw came out of his first outing well, and they plan for him to make his second outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City early ext week.
“He did. Three up and down, felt good,” Roberts said. “His next one will be for the Triple-A ball club, I think it’s Tuesday. It should be four innings, so it’s a good sign for all of us.”
Kershaw mixed in all his pitches during his first rehab outing, including his two-seam fastball and changeup. He was also happy with the results on his curveball, which he used to strike out three players.
The velocity was also encouraging, considering it was his first start back after a major surgery.
“I think right in line with where he’s supposed to be,” Roberts said. “I don’t really know. I think right around 88 to 90 (mph) something, where he’s sort of always been.”
There’s no set plan for how much longer Kershaw will need before he returns, but as long as things keep going well, they’re going to give him at least three outings.
“I don’t,” Roberts said about how many starts Kershaw will need. “I know that three is certainly going to be the floor, and then probably after that, we’ll kind of figure out where he’s at.”
Clayton Kershaw progressing faster than anticipated
Kershaw’s initial timeline placed him within the range of an August return, but it now seems likely he is going to return some time after the All-Star break in July.
The Dodgers were excited to have Kershaw back after re-signing him in the offseason, but they were realistic in their expectations for his recovery and didn’t take it as a guarantee.
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