Clayton Kershaw Doesn’t Know When He’ll Return to the Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw made his much-awaited first rehab start on Wednesday, pitching for the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Kershaw led the Quakes to a 6-2 win over the Inland Empire 66ers, as he saw his first game action since undergoing surgery last November to repair the glenohumeral ligaments in his left shoulder.

In the start, Kershaw pitched three innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, one walk, and notching five strikeouts. His fastball reached up to 90 mph in the second inning, an important benchmark for the 10-time All-Star and three-time National League Cy Young award winner. While this rehab start was the next step for Kershaw in his return, he does not exactly know when he will be back for the Dodgers.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Kershaw said. “It’s all dependent on the next one. As long as you keep doing well in the next one. You have to see where the team is as well, see what the need is up there, obviously. There’s a lot of ‘X’ factors. Some of them are in my control but some of them aren’t. We’ll just see how the next one goes and go from there.”

Kershaw is not exactly sure when he’ll be back, but the good news is he appears to be progressing way ahead of early estimates that he would be back in late July or August. Considering he has already made his first rehab start, there’s a solid chance he well clears that initial timeline.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association allows pitchers to spend up to 30 days on a minor league rehabilitation assignment. If Wednesday was Day 1, Day 30 for Kershaw would be the first game out of the All-Star break — a July 19 home game against the Boston Red Sox — which might not be a coincidence.

Photo Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

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