Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Confident Clayton Kershaw Will Return Soon After All-Star Break

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was off to a superb start in his 2023 campaign and was rewarded with a second consecutive All-Star appearance on the back of an excellent outing in Colorado.

Long a source of seemingly endless frustration for the future Hall of Famer, Kershaw went to the Mile High City and dominated a healthy Rockies lineup before curiously leaving after allowing only one hit over his six innings of work.

The reason for his early exit turned out to be shoulder inflammation, and while the Dodgers hoped that it wouldn't require a trip to the injured list for the ace, Kershaw wound up on the 15-day IL nonetheless.

Luckily for both the 35-year-old and his team -- with a rotation mired in a deluge of injuries -- it doesn't appear as if Kershaw will be out long, per Dodger Insider.

Manager Dave Roberts was optimistic in Kershaw's outlook.

“I’m very confident,” Roberts said. “That’s from talking to the training staff and talking to Clayton. Each passing day, it’s gotten better, so I feel really confident about it.“

The 16-year veteran has had a great campaign for the Dodgers, being a reliable hurler at the top of the rotation for a team that needs it given their injury problems.

Kershaw had a 2.55 ERA and an NL-leading 1.049 WHIP during the first half of his season, helping to keep the Dodgers afloat in the NL West as they sit only a few games out of first place.

And for what it's worth, Roberts is happy with Kershaw's progress despite having to miss his last scheduled start.

“Every day there’s been improvement, which is great. The thought is to keep his arm moving, so there’s not going to be downtime where he’s not throwing the baseball. And we haven’t decided on what day after the All-Star break, but him targeting that day is probably what we’re going to do.”

So even though Kershaw wasn't able to take the mound this week at Dodger Stadium, the lefty shouldn't be out long-term, welcome news for a team that's trying to get and remain healthy with the homestretch of the season not that far away.