The Los Angeles Dodgers’ injury-plagued season seemingly reached its peak this past weekend when ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 10-day disabled list with bicep tendinitis. There was fear that the injury was serious, so Kershaw left the team’s series in Mexico.
He returned to Los Angeles to undergo an MRI and be examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Luckily, it did not reveal anything more than the bicep tendinitis, so Kershaw avoided a more serious injury to either his elbow or shoulder.
Nonetheless, this is the third consecutive season and fourth in the past five that injury has forced Kershaw to the disabled list. He previously missed time due to separate back injuries.
Despite the troubling trend and now being 30 years old, Kershaw considers his health to be in good standing, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I’ve joked about being old, but I don’t think it has anything to do with deterioration. I just think there’s some things I can do to get better. Physically, I’ve felt great this whole year. Back, everything has felt really good. I’m not worrying about deteriorating. I think I’ll be all right.”
Kershaw’s velocity dipped a bit this season, which could be attributed to the injury. Though, it’s believed he didn’t pitch with the discomfort/soreness until his last outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
So far in seven starts this season, Kershaw is 1-4 with a 2.86 ERA, 3.73 FIP and 1.14 WHIP while striking out 48 and walking 10 in 44 innings. Six of those walks came in one start against the Miami Marlins, which was especially uncharacteristic of Kershaw.
While Kershaw is optimistic that he will be able to return soon, the Dodgers will likely be cautious with their ace so he does not reinjure his arm in a more serious matter once he does return.
