Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw Shut Down Indefinitely With Unspecified Arm Issue
The Dodgers have shut left-hander Clayton Kershaw down indefinitely after two live bullpen sessions this week left something in the Los Angeles's ace arm feeling slightly off, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, per the Los Angeles Times.
Roberts described Kershaw's condition as an "arm king of thing" and gave no timetable for his return. The 30-year-old pitcher will, however, still continue to participate in non-throwing workouts.
Kershaw told reporters Friday that he was "just taking a few days," to see how he feels before deciding anything further.
“Just taking a few days,” Kershaw said. “I’m not going to be super specific right now, but I should be playing catch here in the next few days, and [I’ll] just kind of go from there. This is super early. I just want to make sure things are right.”
Roberts added that the decision to shut Kershaw down for the time being was made with longevity in mind.
“When he says he doesn’t feel right, you’re looking at the calendar, just to push things back is prudent and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Roberts said. “So to say when he’s going to throw his next ‘pen, I can’t say right now. And we’re sort of leaving that to him and the trainers to figure out when that is. But right now, to just kind of step away, give him a couple days, I think that’s what we want to do.”
Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, compiled a 2.73 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 161.1 innings last season. Roberts has already named the 11-season Los Angeles ace as the Dodgers' Opening Day starter for 2019.
Kershaw has been placed on the injured list four times since June of 2016. Last season he spent more than three weeks on the IL with biceps tendinitis.
The Dodgers signed the veteran pitcher to a three-year, $93 million extension this offseason.
