After completing four innings of a simulated game on Monday, Clayton Kershaw will make a minor league start this weekend in preparation for him to be back with the Dodgers soon.
Clayton Kershaw says he could have been pitching in the majors 10 days ago
He understands why the team is being cautious, though.
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
His simulated start was meant to only be three innings, but he asked for one more and it was granted to him so he must be doing just fine in the team’s eyes.
He told the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett that “health-wise, I could have pitched in the big leagues 10 days ago. But that’s not the plan obviously.” The plan, of course, is to be cautious in bringing the Dodgers’ ace back, seeing as they aren’t hurting in the standings (they lead the NL West by 20 games) and don’t need to push it.
Considering Yu Darvish was also recently added to the 10-day disabled list, and they’ve already managed to ford this Kershaw-less stretch without many problems (they have an 18-4 record in his absence), so there’s no reason for the team to overdo it stumble crossing the finish line with his rehab.
Kershaw’s minor league start will be with Triple-A Oklahoma City, his first Triple-A start ever. Before going on the DL in late July, Kershaw had a 2.04 ERA and 168 strikeouts, the former of which still leads the National League.
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