Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will be sidelined longer than the team initially anticipated.
The reigning National League Cy Young winner was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday after experiencing some tightness in his upper back following his Opening Night start in Australia on March 22. Kershaw could be activated as soon as April 8 because the move was backdated to March 23, but now, that return date is out of the question as the Dodgers are implementing a rehab program for Kershaw that will keep him out at least two to three more weeks.
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Kershaw, who signed a seven-year, $215-million contract in the offseason will then be re-evaluated by team physician Neal ElAttrache to determine when he can begin throwing at increased velocity. The Dodgers haven’t set a timetable for Kershaw’s return, but it’s unlikely he’ll return this month.
“He’s definitely far enough out now that he’s going to have to have some kind of progression,” Don Mattingly said, per Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. “In my mind, it’s going to take some time.”
In his lone start this season, the 26-year-old limited the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run over 6 2/3 innings.
