The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken another blow, and it might be the biggest yet.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 10-day injured list with left forearm inflammation on Wednesday, the team announced. The team recalled right-hander Mitch White to take Kershaw’s roster spot.
The move sidelines Kershaw amid another strong year for the left-hander, who held a 3.39 ERA in 106.1 innings (18 starts) with a 9-7 record, 127 strikeouts and only 19 walks.
The team didn’t provide any details on Kershaw’s timetable for a return. He may only miss one or two starts if he’s able to return quickly thanks to the All-Star break, though forearm inflammation can often be a precursor to be a much more serious arm injury.
Currently a half-game back from the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West, the 53-33 Dodgers can only hope Kershaw comes back soon.
Dodgers rotation takes another blow
As the season began, just about every team in baseball had to envy the Dodgers’ starting pitching depth.
The team’s rotation to open the season consisted of Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer, Julio Urias and Dustin May. Behind May — already one of the better pitchers in the NL last season — was former Cy Young winner David Price, 2020 Baseball America Rookie of the Year Tony Gonsolin and top prospect Josiah Gray.
Here is our record of what Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was saying at the time:
“Smithers, there’s no way I can lose this division … unless, of course, my eight starting pitchers fall victim to eight separate misfortunes and are unable to play. But that will never happen. Three misfortunes, that’s possible. Five misfortunes, there’s an outside chance. But eight misfortunes … I’d like to see that.”
Well, we’re not at eight misfortunes, but we are getting startlingly close given that it’s only July 7.
May went down with Tommy John surgery in early May. Gonsolin was on the IL by early April with shoulder inflammation, though he has since returned. Gray is just now returning from another shoulder injury. Price hit the IL with a hamstring strain and has also returned.
And Bauer, well, no one quite knows when or even if he’ll be back this year.
As things now stand, the Dodgers’ rotation consists of Buehler, Urias and Gonsolin. Moving Price out of the bullpen feels like a given at this point, but replacing Kershaw — even in the short term — could be a tall order for a team that probably didn’t think it would be in this position this early.
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