Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged for the first time that ace Clayton Kershaw, who has been slowed this spring by shoulder inflammation, may not be ready for the March 28 season opener against Arizona.
on Feb. 19, the first day the Dodgers held full-squad workouts. The next day, the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner’s shoulder flared up, and the left-hander stopped throwing for four days.Kershaw has made a franchise record eight consecutive opening-day starts. Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies holds the major-league record with 12 consecutive opening-day starts for one club.
Kershaw resumed throwing last week and played catch from 60-70 feet for the fourth time in five days on Monday. He has put more intensity and effort into each of his throwing sessions, but there is no timetable for him to throw off a mound, the next step in a progression that will include several bullpen sessions.
“That’s fair,” Roberts said, when asked if it would be difficult for Kershaw to be ready for the season opener. “The main thing is he’s trending in the right direction, and when he’s game-ready is when he’s game-ready.” The Dodgers have more than enough rotation depth to absorb the loss of Kershaw for the first week or two of the season. Though Roberts said the team is still “hopeful” Kershaw will be ready for opening day, it is not imperative that Kershaw make his ninth straight opening-day start.“There’s just way too much importance put on the opening-day roster,” Roberts said. “The No. 1 thing is for him to be ready and to feel confident physically and mentally, and when that is, it is.
“We feel very comfortable that he will get ramped up, and regardless of when that is, there’s a lot of talent in that room that he’s surrounded by [that can ease his loss].”The best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dodgers' equipment managers relieved they won't have to issue a No. 34 jersey this seasonWhile most Dodgers fans were disappointed that the team failed to offer Bryce Harper a more lucrative deal, there was a sense of relief in one part of the team’s spring-training facility when the free-agent slugger signed a contract with the Phillies.
Read more »
Theresa May acknowledges the possibility that Brexit may not happen next monthThe British prime minister said that if her deal is rejected again, lawmakers will be offered a vote for an extension to June.
Read more »
Michael Cohen to Congress: 'I am not protecting Mr. Trump anymore'The former Trump attorney, who called the president a 'racist' and 'con man,' testified that Roger Stone had told Trump in advance about a WikiLeaks emails release that would hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Read more »
Strange' if I'm not at Man United next season, says SolskjaerManchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said it would be 'st...
Read more »
Perspective | ‘Green Book’ may not have deserved best picture, but did it deserve all the hate?Perspective: 'Green Book' may not have deserved best picture, but did it deserve all the hate?
Read more »
Wall St. Week Ahead: U.S. stock reign may not last over other regionsU.S. stock prices are outpacing those in most other regions to start 2019, but t...
Read more »
Why America may not get the answers it seeks from MuellerMichael Zeldin and Julian Zelizer write that Robert Mueller's report may not have all the answers the American people want because Mueller will be constrained in what he can say by Special Counsel regulations.
Read more »