A mere few days after Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced the expected by naming Clayton Kershaw the club’s Opening Day starter, the left-handed ace had his Spring Training interrupted due to an unspecified circumstance.
With Kershaw limited to work in the weight room, it became public knowledge he was saddled by inflammation in his throwing shoulder. There were several days where he abstained from throwing as anti-inflammatory medication set in.
Kershaw’s initial attempt to resume playing catch did not go well, but he successfully managed to do so two days later. That marked the start of a steady progression that’s leading to live batting practice on Wednesday.
While Kershaw is moving back along with a throwing program, he will not appear in the upcoming exhibition Freeway Series and is set to begin the season on the 10-day injured list instead of the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, per Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA:
Roberts said Kershaw will unlikely be on Opening Day roster & is not a candidate to pitch in #FreewaySeries.
— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) March 19, 2019
After maintaining for multiple weeks that Kershaw was still the Opening Day starter, Roberts officially ruled out the possibility on Monday. That snapped Kershaw’s franchise record of eight consecutive starts in a season opener.
Meanwhile, by not pitching Kershaw in the Freeway Series, the Dodgers will have the option to backdate his stint on the injured list by the maximum of three days before the regular season begins (March 28). Thus, it would pave the way for an expedited return.
