Dodgers notes: Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, All-Star rosters

The Dodgers rotation has been a literal sore spot this season, with Clayton Kershaw’s shoulder inflammation the latest stress test, writes Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.

Walker Buehler made the National League All-Star team in 2019 and 2021. The Dodgers right-hander talked about those experiences this week on the Just Baseball podcast.

Pirates closer David Bednar was chosen by Major League Baseball to replace the injured Kershaw on the National League All-Star roster. That makes five relievers on the NL squad, with Evan Phillips still on the outside looking in.

With the Pirates at Dodger Stadium for a few days, Bednar sent an ice chest with a six-pack of beer to Kershaw once he got the news.

The closer we get to the August 1 trade deadline, more of a consensus forms around what the Dodgers needs. Juan Toribio at MLB.com offers three areas the team needs to improve, with which I agree — starting pitching, relief pitching, and a right-handed bat.

On the latest Three-Inning Save podcast, Jacob Burch and I discuss the Dodgers contingent headed to the All-Star Game, plus why Clayton Kershaw was headed for the injured list (we recorded before Monday’s transaction).

The Dodgers have been among the best organizations in baseball in drafting hitters for the last decade-plus, in a study at Baseball America written about by J.J. Cooper. The Dodgers since 2012 draft are third in these categories: most major league hitters drafted and signed (25), most major league home runs by drafted hitters (686), and most runs created (2,493).

Mo’ne Davis, who was a star at the Little League World Series 2014, just graduated from Hampton University and is an intern this summer in the Dodgers video department. Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times has more.

The Dodgers will miss Mike Trout this weekend when the Angels are in town for two games. The superstar outfielder broke the hamate bone in his left hand and was placed on the injured list on Tuesday.