SAN DIEGO — Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw won’t be ready to come off the disabled list when he’s eligible to be activated on April 14, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday.
“This thing is going to take some time,” Mattingly said before the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers said that after consultation with Dr. Neal ElAttrache and a review of an MRI scan, Kershaw will be placed on a rehab that includes a submaximal throwing program for the next two to three weeks. He will then be re-evaluated by ElAttrache to determine when he can start throwing at increased velocity.
Kershaw will likely have to make a rehab start before he can return, Mattingly said.
Kershaw was placed on the DL on Sunday with a swollen muscle in his left upper back. He already had been scratched from his scheduled start on Sunday after an MRI revealed the problem.
Mattingly says Kershaw was supposed to have thrown before Tuesday’s game but didn’t because it was cool and damp.
Also Tuesday, Mattingly said outfielder Matt Kemp is close to coming off the disabled list, but he’ll have to prove that he’s not afraid to slide into a base or stop quickly while rounding a base.
Kemp is rehabbing from ankle surgery.