The Los Angeles Dodgers are still in a race for the National League West division title, but with a postseason spot locked up, they can start to focus on their potential October roster.
Things are mostly set on the position-player side with potentially one or two bench spots to figure out. But there isn’t quite as much clarity with the Dodgers pitching staff.
Numerous injuries and a lack of consistent performance from others have matters in a state of flux. But two options who could potentially help are Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Banda.
Both left-handers are currently on the 15-day injured list, but have made some progress toward their return.
Dodgers injury updates
Clayton Kershaw
Kershaw has been dealing with pain in his left big toe due to a bone spur, and potentially more, which has prevented him from pushing off from the rubber while throwing.
He did take a “big step” forward with a bullpen session of roughly 80 pitches earlier this week. Kershaw seemingly came out of it well as he was back throwing again on Friday.
“It was fine,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He ended up throwing probably around 32-34 pitches, something like that. Just a side session, so we’ll see how he comes out of that. And hopefully next week, we can get him to face some hitters.
While Kershaw continues to throw, he is still dealing with the pain and has not been able to fully manage it to this point. Until then, he will remain on the injured list.
“I think one part of it is, the most important part is getting it healthy, which it’s not yet,” Roberts noted. “And the other part is keeping his arm moving so you don’t lose the kind of build up that you’ve had. And then the last part is the execution part of it.
“So it’s hard to really have that execution part when you’re not working with a full deck, and so that’s the toe, the foot. So he’s doing the best he can.
“But I do think that each passing day, as he gets more healthy and feels better, then the execution part will kind of get in line.
Anthony Banda
Banda has been out since punching a “solid object” and suffering a hairline fracture in his left hand. The Dodgers were hopeful Banda would be back before the end of the season, and things seem to be trending that way.
Banda was playing catch at Dodger Stadium on Friday, and Roberts is confident the lefty reliever will be back when his IL stint is up on Sept. 25.
“He threw a ‘pen [Thursday] with good velocity,” Roberts said. “He’s going to throw another one this weekend using his slider. And so I’m not sure the date that he’s eligible to come off, but I do believe that once that date hits, he should be ready to go for us.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!