Clayton Kershaw To Be Sidelined For 4-6 Weeks With Back Injury
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Baseball's best pitcher and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw left Sunday's game against the Braves in the second inning with what was reported as lower back tightness.
News came out Monday morning that Kershaw will be placed on the DL and will be sidelined for four to six weeks, though he still has to see another doctor before the Dodgers know his timetable for certain.
Sources: Initial prognosis is that #Dodgers' Kershaw will miss 4 to 6 weeks. Final determination will be made after he sees Dr. Watkins.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 24, 2017
Many Dodger fans remember that the ace sat for two months last season with similar issues.
Kershaw is 15-2 this season and has a major league best 2.04 ERA.
With the six-week timetable, the dominant lefty could make a return as early as September, giving him a full month to prepare for the postseason in October.
The injury does put a wrinkle in L.A.'s plans as they now might be looking to acquire another arm to replace the team's ace before his return.
#Dodgers also have shown interest in Verlander, which could intensify if team receives discouraging news on Clayton Kershaw's back. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 24, 2017
With their staff ace sidelined, management is expected to get a little more serious about looking for help despite that huge division lead.
Pitchers who've been linked to Los Angeles include Tigers starter Justin Verlander and Rangers' ace Yu Darvish.