Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw hopeful he can make ‘at least a few’ starts before playoffs begin

On Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers’ pitching staff gathered on the diamond around 4 p.m. for pitchers fielding practice. A staple of spring training, the drills serve as refreshers during the long season. The gang was nearly all there — even Brock Stewart, the team’s starter for that night’s game against Minnesota, sat in the dugout to watch.

There was one conspicuous absence. Clayton Kershaw is only three days removed from a lower back strain that interrupted another All-Star season, landed him on the disabled list and placed his readiness for October in doubt. Speaking about the injury for the first time after being examined by team doctors, Kershaw expressed confidence in his ability to return by September — if not sooner.

“I might not pitch as many starts as I’d like in the regular season, but I definitely would like at least a few before October,” Kershaw said. “I don’t see that being a problem.”

The injury jarred the Dodgers out of an otherwise sunny season. The team owns the best record in baseball and a double-digit lead in the National League West. The offense has been dynamic and the defense has been stout. The organization overcame Kershaw’s extended absence last summer to storm past the San Francisco Giants and win the division. In 2017, they need only to hold their ground.

The bigger question is how Kershaw (15-2, 2.04 ERA) will respond after another injury to his back. Kershaw suffered a herniated disk last summer. The ailment shelved him for 10 weeks. He indicated his latest MRI showed no further damage to the disk. He sounded upbeat about the gap between the discomfort of his prior injury and his current condition.

“It’s definitely not as painful this year,” Kershaw said. “Everyday life isn’t really affected, which is good. Last year, I couldn’t sit, couldn’t really bend in any way. This one’s not nearly like that. Just trying to play that balance of wanting to do a lot, but having to make sure I don’t make it worse before it heals.”

After missing a sizable chunk of the summer last season, Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers on Sept. 9. He made five starts to prepare for the playoffs. He declined to speculate on whether that program left him ready for the challenge of October.

“That’s not really a fair question, because that’s the way it worked out last year,” Kershaw said. “I didn’t have a choice. Ultimately, I’d just like to pitch every fifth day until the end of the season, and then pitch [in the playoffs]. That’s not what’s going to happen. So I’m going to make this work.”

Kershaw has not been cleared to perform baseball activity, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. Kershaw would not speculate on when his level of exercise could increase.

Kershaw was unhappy with events that occurred earlier in the week. On Monday, Fox Sports reported that the Dodgers’ initial prognosis, after Kershaw underwent an MRI, was a four-to-six week absence. The Times subsequently confirmed this line of thinking, according to people familiar with the situation, while noting that a plan for Kershaw’s return to action had not been finalized.

Kershaw met with members of the front office and the medical staff to determine that plan earlier this week. But he still expressed his frustration with the public discussion about when he should be expected back.

“There’s no timetable,” Kershaw said. ”Whoever said that is very much mistaken. False source, or whatever it is. People just tend to run with stuff these days. No timetable. Could be sooner. We’ll just see how it goes.”

The Dodgers have closed ranks around Kershaw this week. Roberts described the injury as a “grade 1” strain. He indicated Kershaw had begun taking medication, and would not throw until his symptoms subside. Otherwise, Roberts has not speculated on when Kershaw will pitch again.

The team is unlikely to provide daily updates on this process. Kershaw appreciates his privacy. During his rehab last summer, the Dodgers never revealed a timetable for his return.

“So many different things can happen,” Kershaw said. “If you come back early, people say you rushed it. If you come back late, people say it was worse than you originally thought. There’s no good that can come from a timetable, and people speculating on that is just false reporting.”

The Dodgers will miss Kershaw while he recovers. But the team’s goal, its quest to snap a 29-year championship drought, has not changed. Kershaw intends to contribute in October. Until then, he’ll have to stomach the frustration caused by the recurrence of back trouble.

“It’s no fun being hurt,” Kershaw said. “It’s miserable. Especially, even more so this year, just with everything I’ve done to maintain it.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Follow Andy McCullough on Twitter @McCulloughTimes