Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw Could Be Activated This Weekend
Four years to the day of the best night of his career, Clayton Kershaw saw some more good fortune. Kershaw threw a three-inning simulated game at Wrigley Field. During the session, things felt so well that the Dodgers and Kershaw announced that an activation from the disabled list could be in order. This would be an audible to the original plan laid out by Dave Roberts this past weekend.
Initially, the Dodgers’ manager stated that Kershaw would throw a simulated game today, followed by a bullpen session. If that went well – Kershaw would be sent on a rehab assignment before joining the rotation.
At least step one took place, and no one will complain if we ad-lib and skip all the way to the last step a little early.
That sim game #Dodgers Clayton Kershaw was going to throw in LA Tue or Wed? Yeah, it’s happening at Wrigley Field right now pic.twitter.com/ZB8yppFKW5
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) June 18, 2018
#Dodgers Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw will pitch either in rehab assignment or MLB game this weekend.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) June 18, 2018
The Los Angeles Times expands a little further upon the report:
“Clayton is going to be more on the aggressive side, which we all know and appreciated,” Roberts said before Monday’s game against the Cubs. “But we’re going to have a conversation with the training staff, the front office and really try to figure out what makes the most sense for him and for us.”
“Everything felt good,” Kershaw said. “Just waiting on the next step.”
Kershaw is a veteran whom; if he says he’s ready to go, you hand him the ball at the quickest opportunity. That would be this weekend against the New York Mets at Citi Field. In addition, this could be a byproduct of Kershaw feeling a little urgency. The 2018 season has seen him throw just 49 innings. Kershaw may sense how hard his team is charging for the division crown and how badly he’s needed. Sports Illustrated recently did a story at the one thing Kershaw lacks (and craves) in his career: a championship.
Kershaw knows that sands are running through the hourglass little by little. With his back feeling better, the organization can turn him loose and hopefully see the addition of a Cy Young arm for the rest of the year.
Analysis
Don’t look now, but the Dodgers rotation is getting healthy in a hurry. With the offense firing on all cylinders and the possibility of having the rotation close to full strength by week’s end; no one is going to want to play this team. Of course the way baseball always goes – it wouldn’t be shocking to see the offense suddenly cool off. That’s okay. A starting rotation that has Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, and Rich Hill or Walker Buehler in place shouldn’t need as many runs per night to win. The old adage is that you can never have too much starting pitching. We would all love to see the Dodgers scrambling for a solution to a ‘problem’ like this for once rather than the alternative.
Clayton Kershaw’s No-Hitter Four Years Later
I’d like to see a rotation of Kershaw, Hill, Maeda, Stripling, and Buehler (not necessarily in that order), with Wood in the bullpen or possibly AAA or phantom DL to work on his mechanics (or whatever it is that has changed from last season), and then hopefully Ryu can come back to eat some innings so Buehler can keep his innings down, we’re going to need him in the World Series!!! Haha
I think there’s a possibility that they use the ‘phantom DL’ once again when Kershaw is healthy, and Wood could be the guy (or continue to let Buehler rest).