Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Downplays His Injury
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On Friday, news broke that Clayton Kershaw was headed to the 15-day injured list to do inflammation in his right SI joint. Considering his lengthy injury history, many Dodgers fans feared the worst.
Kershaw himself didn't sound overly concerned about the injury when asked by reporters prior to first pitch on Friday night (quote via The Orange County Register's JP Hoonstra).
“It’s a little sore right now. but I’m confident that by the time my (IL) stint’s over, I should be pretty close to ready to go if not ready to go.”
The three-time Cy Young winner has been pitching like his old self this year. In five starts, he's recorded a an impeccable 1.80 ERA and a mind-boggling 0.73 WHIP. In one of those starts, Kershaw tossed seven innings of perfection, but exited the game six outs short of accomplishing one of baseball's greatest feats.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also discussed Kershaw's injury and noted that both the organization and Clayton need to tread lightly when his health isn't 100%.
“I think that I have to. It has to be on my mind, and it is. I think that’s the responsible way to look at things. You have to understand the history of any player. Clayton’s an easy bet to go out there and perform…he and I are in lockstep that the ultimate goal is to make sure he’s healthy through October, and I still expect that.”
If all goes well, Kershaw should be close to returning towards the end of May. A return for the Pirates series (May 31-June 1) or the Mets series (June 2-June 5), might not be out of the question.
