Los Angeles Dodgers fans received encouraging news Friday night at Dodger Stadium, as manager Dave Roberts announced that legendary pitcher Clayton Kershaw is poised to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment on Wednesday. The expectation is that this assignment will commence with a start for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, who are conveniently scheduled to host the Tacoma Rainiers, the Seattle Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, next week.
Adding to the positive pitching updates, Roberts also provided insights into the rehab progress of Tony Gonsolin, who is also working his way back from an injury with Oklahoma City. Gonsolin is slated to start the series opener on Tuesday, marking his third rehab outing.
His previous start on Wednesday in Round Rock, Texas, saw him strike out an impressive seven batters across 3⅓ innings, signaling a positive trajectory in his recovery.
Roberts expressed optimism about Gonsolin’s potential return, stating on Friday, “Tony had a good outing the other day. He’ll pitch on Tuesday and potentially try to touch the fifth inning. Once we get through this one, I think he’s certainly in the conversation and could be called upon.”
Los Angeles Dodgers Update Status Of Clayton Kershaw, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, and Tony Gonsolin
Turning back to Kershaw, Roberts confirmed that his first rehab start would indeed be on Wednesday, most likely in Oklahoma City, and emphasized that this would mark the beginning of a more extended rehabilitation process. Kershaw is currently on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from left big toe surgery performed in November. With the earliest date for his activation being May 17th, this timeline allows for potentially five rehab starts with ample rest periods incorporated between them.
Prior to this announcement, Kershaw had indicated his progress during the team’s visit to Washington D.C., telling reporters that he had thrown two simulated innings at Camelback Ranch the previous week and was scheduled for another such session this past Thursday.
This schedule would provide him with five days of rest leading up to his anticipated Wednesday start, whether that ultimately takes place in Oklahoma City or possibly with the Low-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, who are also hosting San Jose next week.
Kershaw himself had offered insights into his unique recovery process, stating, “I’m kind of just going to keep on that schedule. It’s kind of a weird needle to thread because physically my arm is ready to go. I’m ready. But my toe isn’t all the way there yet. Whenever my toe finally is strong enough to be out there, I want to be ready. It’s obviously a unique injury for pitching, unique injury for baseball. So there’s not a whole lot of precedent with it. We’re just kind of, whenever my toe is ready to go, I’ll be ready to go,” as reported by Bill Plunkett in the Orange County Register on Monday.
In other bullpen rehab news, Evan Phillips appears to be nearing his return. He has already pitched in three games for Oklahoma City and was scheduled to pitch again on Friday night in Round Rock.
Roberts indicated that Phillips will likely have at least one more Triple-A appearance before being activated, noting, “He’s got the back-to-back box to check. It’s been good, I think that’s the last one. Evan’s close, he’s getting there.”
Conversely, Michael Kopech, who began the season on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement, is set to throw a bullpen session this weekend at Dodger Stadium. However, Roberts cautioned that Kopech’s return to the bullpen is still “a ways away,” suggesting a more protracted recovery timeline for the right-hander.