Clayton Kershaw injury: Dodgers fear ace lefthander needs hip surgery

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Saturday that lefthander Clayton Kershaw, the 2011 Cy Young Award winner, will miss his next scheduled start, on Sunday, because of an injury, and that he will see a hip specialist on Tuesday in New York.

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that team officials fear that Kershaw has a torn labrum and needs season-ending surgery on his right hip. Teammate Jerry Hairston Jr. had a similar procedure on Monday and is expected to require three to six months of rehabilitation.

Rookie righthander Stephen Fife will get the start on Sunday, but manager Don Mattingly said that L.A. -- also without No. 2 starter Chad Billingsley, who is out for the season with an elbow injury -- will try to make do with a four-man rotation, off days permitting.