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Clayton Kershaw’s methodical progression back toward the majors now has what could potentially be a final step in his rehabilitation. The Dodgers left-hander will start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday.
Kershaw is expected to pitch three innings on Tuesday in the series finale against Albuquerque at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. It will be the seventh career minor league rehab start for Kershaw, and the first since a start for Double-A Tulsa on April 9, 2019.
Kershaw last pitched for the Dodgers on July 3, and has been sidelined since with inflammation in his left elbow/forearm. Briefly shut down by arm soreness during his rehab, Kershaw has been pain free of late, and threw simulated games this week of one inning on Monday at Dodger Stadium and two innings on Friday at Oracle Park.
Roberts on Friday said if all goes well in Kershaw’s rehab start, it’s likely his next game would be with the Dodgers. If that’s the case, Kershaw could potentially make four regular season starts before the postseason.
But up first is a Tuesday start in Oklahoma City.
Links
- President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi’s molding of the Giants, similar to his work with the Dodgers, was profiled by John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, who wrote, “This rivalry is at its best when both teams are thriving, each putting pressure on the other to do better, and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
- On Friday, 17 baseball writers at ESPN predicted various items down the stretch, among them the Dodgers and White Sox the World Series matchup picked most often, and Walker Buehler picked by 12 of the 17 to win the National League Cy Young Award.
- Aside from the moral imperative of minor league players to earn a living wage, Russell Carleton at Baseball Prospectus broke down the math for why paying minor league players more is a good investment for major league clubs.
- More from Friday’s 11-inning series opener, and the thin margins between the Dodgers and Giants, from Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.