Health of Clayton Kershaw is pressing question as Dodgers go into second half of season
In the early evening of Thursday, 24 hours before the Dodgers embarked on the second half of this season, their ballpark sat mostly uninhabited. One of the few noises emanating from Dodger Stadium was the sound of a baseball passing back and forth from Brett Anderson to Clayton Kershaw. Manager Dave Roberts emerged from his clubhouse to watch the duo.
Kershaw returned from San Diego, where he was unable to pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star game because of a herniated disk, and went back to work. His health remains the most pressing question for this team as it heads to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks on Friday.
The Dodgers have not committed to a firm date for Kershaw’s return, but gave signals that it could come as early as next week during a three-city trip across the country. Kershaw threw 60 pitches in a bullpen session on Wednesday. He is expected to face hitters in a simulated game on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
From there, neither Roberts nor the pitcher himself think Kershaw requires a rehabilitation assignment. He would be on four days’ rest when the Dodgers face the Nationals on Thursday in Washington.
“For Clayton, not a whole lot is left,” Roberts said. “We’re just trying to still be mindful in terms of what’s in his best interests, now and going forward. But we expected him to make our decision a lot tougher. His health and the way his body’s responded is pretty exciting for us.”
Kershaw (11-2, 1.79 earned-run average) carried the club through the first three months of the season, placing himself in consideration for a second National League most-valuable-player award. But the Dodgers (51-40) did not founder in his absence.
Since Kershaw last pitched, on June 26 in Pittsburgh, the team has gone 10-4. The Dodgers lead the National League wild-card standings by 2 ½ games, while trailing San Francisco in the division by 6 ½ games.
“You know what? It was a good first half,” Roberts said. “But obviously I think there’s room to get better.”
The Dodgers plan to wade into the trading market before the Aug. 1 deadline. But the team continues to harbor faith in internal upgrades.
In addition to discussing Kershaw, Roberts provided a series of encouraging updates about the rest of the wounded Dodgers. Joc Pederson, the former All-Star center fielder, will begin a rehab assignment for his injured shoulder with triple-A Oklahoma City this weekend. The team hopes to activate him from the disabled list Tuesday.
Andre Ethier was expected to undergo a scan to determine whether the fracture in his left leg has sufficiently healed enough to push toward playing in games. Ethier has missed the entire season since fouling a ball off his leg in March. The Dodgers hope he can return by early next month.
If the examination goes well, “then we can be a lot more active and aggressive as far as him coming back,” Roberts said. “And if not, we’ve got to stand pat.”
Both Anderson (back surgery) and Alex Wood (elbow impingement) could rejoin the club next month. Wood spent time at Camelback Ranch this week to continue his throwing program. Anderson threw a 60-pitch bullpen session Thursday. Roberts watched the session.
“’I mean, ‘electric’ might be a word [to describe it],” Roberts said. “The velocity, the crispness, the combination of fastball, breaking ball, changeup. The depth of his sinker. Arm speed, mechanics, everything was good.
“He’s really come on of late. He’s in the mix.”
Twitter: @McCulloughTimes
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