Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, the other shoe dropped. After watching Clayton Kershaw make a hasty exit in the bottom of the fifth inning on Thursday, afternoon, Dodger fans got the body blow. The best pitcher of this generation is headed to his second stay on the IL.
Citing what the Dodgers termed “low back pain,” Kershaw was put on the 15-day IL. By league rules, fifteen days is the shortest time that a pitcher can be put on the IL. The change was made after 2021, when teams were seen abusing the ten-day list for pitchers, who would develop some mystical “ailment” that forced them to the IL for a start, and then got them right back in the rotation for their next turn.
So, in other words, we can’t read too much into the Kershaw 15-day designation. Very likely he’ll need a lot more than that to recover from this nagging back problem. The first time Kersh hit the IL this season, he required a month to get himself back into playing shape. I’d say probably that is an optimistic timeline, given how much the Dodgers want him to be himself in October.
In a trio of corresponding moves, reliever Reyes Moronta was added to the roster to take Kershaw’s spot. He’ll help if the Dodgers need to cobble together a long bullpen game in Kersh’s absence. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t get a Ryan Pepiot sighting at Chavez Ravine a time or two in August. In addition, Chris Taylor is back in the fold, added to the roster after his OKC rehab stint. To make room for CT3, James Outman has been sent back to triple-A.
As for Kershaw, light those candles and say a novena, people. We’re going to need to bring out the big guns for this one.
