Clayton Kershaw will go on the disabled list

The presence of Clayton Kershaw creates calm. Every fifth day, his teammates say, the Dodgers arrive for work with a sense of lightness. Kershaw acts as a rising tide for the 24 other boats on his roster.

“It’s a feeling when you wake up in the morning,” catcher A.J. Ellis said after the Dodgers secured an 8-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. “It’s Clayton’s day. You’re going to win.”

The Dodgers will not experience that luxury for the next two weeks, at least, and perhaps more, after it was announced that Kershaw would go on the disabled list. The team did not reveal a timetable for Kershaw’s recovery from a herniated disk in his back, which required an epidural Wednesday in Los Angeles.

In the immediate present, the front office of Andrew Friedman scrambled to acquire right-hander Bud Norris from the Atlanta Braves. Norris will face the Rockies in Kershaw’s place on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

The long-term consequences remain unknown. A herniated disk can become a chronic problem, and Kershaw has dealt with issues in his right hip and upper back in recent years. Manager Dave Roberts was unsure if Kershaw would be available when his initial 15 days on the disabled list expire.

“How his body responds to the epidural, that’s the most telling,” Roberts said. “I don’t know how it’s going to be. I don’t know. I’m hopeful. But I can’t say either way.”

The importance of Kershaw to this injury-ravaged roster is difficult to overstate. Roberts referred to him Thursday as “our most valuable player.” That sentiment could stretch across the entire National League.

Kershaw entered Thursday ahead of all National League pitchers and position players alike in Baseball-Reference’s version of wins above replacement. He led pitchers in earned-run average (1.79), innings (121), shutouts (three) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (16.11). The Dodgers are 14-2 in games he started and 30-35 otherwise.

“That’s probably why he hurt his back, he’s been carrying us for so long,” Ellis said.

Kershaw managed the discomfort in his back for at least a month. He reported an increase in soreness Monday morning, a day after a six-inning, four-run outing in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers flew him to see back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins on Wednesday.

Kershaw did not fight the team’s decision to shut him down, Roberts said. He joined a veritable rotation of Dodgers pitchers on the disabled list, a group that includes Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Frankie Montas.

The team hopes McCarthy and Ryu could return before the All-Star break. Until then, Norris will plug the gap. He went 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 outings for the Braves, but posted a 2.15 ERA in five starts this month.

“He’s really thrown well,” Roberts said. “For [the front office] to give us a guy who can go deep into games, eat innings and get guys out was huge.”

To acquire Norris, the Dodgers gave up a pair of minor league pitchers, left-handed Phillip Pfeiffer and right-hander Caleb Dirks. The Dodgers also received minor league outfielder Dian Toscano and a player to be named later.

The Dodgers will be Norris’ fourth team since the start of the 2015 season. Norris finished last season with a 6.72 ERA, splitting the year between Baltimore and San Diego.

In short, he is a stopgap, a last-second maneuver to avoid a repeat of the ongoing problem already caused by the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Now the team features the vacancy at the top of the staff.

“It’ll be a team thing,” shortstop Corey Seager said. “Not any one person can carry his load.”

Trayce Thompson echoed his fellow rookie.

“You never want to lose a guy, especially a guy like Kersh,” Thompson said. “But we’ve just got to step up as a team. Everyone has to do a little bit more. We can keep it rolling.”

Life without Kershaw began this week in Milwaukee. It will continue through the All-Star break. His response to the epidural will determine how long the Dodgers must last without him.

“It’s just going to mean on all five days we’re going to be on that grind,” Ellis said. “As opposed to having one day where you felt like he could shoulder the load.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes