Eight months since his last appearance in the Majors, Clayton Kershaw took another step towards his eventual return to the big league mound.
On Wednesday night, Kershaw allowed three runs across five innings in a start for Triple-A Oklahoma City, tossing 66 pitches in his third rehab appearance this year. After facing the minimum through four innings, Kershaw allowed a pair of home runs in the fifth frame. He scattered four hits and struck out four, walking one.
Kershaw, 37, is working his way back from offseason left toe and left knee surgeries. The toe injury ended his season last August, sidelining him for the Dodgers eventual World Series run.
He previously pitched three innings in each of his first two rehab starts, allowing just one run.
Kershaw was originally scheduled to pitch on Tuesday, with the Dodgers tentatively planning for him to make a fourth rehab start on Sunday on regular rest. However, a rainout pushed Kershaw’s start to Wednesday and dashed plans for Sunday.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior told MLB.com’s Sonja Chen that the washout “shouldn’t set [Kershaw] back.”
Both Kershaw and manager Dave Roberts have said that the veteran’s arm is in better shape than his left toe, which is precariously located on Kershaw’s “drive foot.” After Kershaw’s first rehab start, Roberts labeled the toe as the “last piece.”
Kershaw is first eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list in late May, though he won’t necessarily be activated right away. But when he does return, he should provide a boost to an injury-ravaged Dodgers rotation. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are both sidelined with shoulder inflammation, while Shohei Ohtani’s timeline is still up in the air as he rehabs a repaired UCL.