Dodgers to shut down Clayton Kershaw for week due to ‘blip’

As he works back from surgery on his throwing shoulder, Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw has been shut down for a week due to lingering soreness.

The left-handed ace reported soreness after a rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga last week, leading the Dodgers to have him undergo an MRI. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said the MRI didn't reveal new "incidents," making this a "blip" on the radar.

"You go through surgery. You go through rehab. You start throwing. You ramp up velocity, workload, and there is bound to be some soreness, and that's where we're at," Roberts told reporters on Monday in Chicago before the Dodgers faced the White Sox.

"So then you do the scan to see if there's a new incident, which there wasn't, so that's why we feel very comfortable and confident that this is just a blip."

Kershaw, 36, will resume ramping up after taking a week off from throwing.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner (2011, 2013, 2014) underwent surgery on his left shoulder in November. He re-signed with the Dodgers in February on a one-year deal that includes a player option for 2025.

In 16 major league seasons, all spent with the Dodgers, Kershaw has gone 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA in 425 games (422 starts). He has struck out 2,944 batters in 2,712 2/3 innings, and his 15 career complete-game shutouts are the most among any active player.

--Field Level Media