Cody Snavely
OKLAHOMA CITY— Los Angeles Dodgers veteran left-handed starter Clayton Kershaw completed his third minor league rehab game this afternoon with the Triple-A OKC Comets as he inches closer to a Major League return.
Kershaw, 37, was scheduled to appear in yesterday’s game, but due to inclement weather in Oklahoma City, the Dodgers and Kershaw postponed his start for today.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated earlier this week that Kershaw would get five innings of work and around seventy-five pitches before making a second start on Sunday; however, with the rainout, we will see if the Dodgers stick to that plan on regular rest.
Overall, it was another solid rehab outing for the lefty, going five innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits, including getting tagged for two home runs while striking out four batters.
However, it was all going smoothly for Kershaw, who retired the minimum for the first four innings of the night. Things got shaky for Kershaw in the fifth inning when the lefty allowed a moonshot home run to Luis Campusano and a two-run homer to Mike Brosseau.
Kershaw’s fastball velocity still averaged in the low 90s, and the lefty even incorporated an ephus pitch that registered at 48.3 mph as he continued to get a feel for his pitches.
The Dodgers had planned for Kershaw to start on Sunday’s game for the OKC Comets, but with the rainout yesterday, that remains to be seen.
Either way, Kershaw took another massive step toward his return but is not eligible to be activated off the 60-day injured list until May 17th, when he should be fully built up for big league action.
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