Clayton Kershaw ‘didn’t feel great’ after playing catch Monday
Reporting from Phoenix — Clayton Kershaw played catch Monday morning, as scheduled, after going four days without throwing a baseball as he dealt with shoulder inflammation. It did not go as well as he had hoped it would.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw “didn’t feel great” after the throwing session, which was conducted on flat ground with Walker Buehler. When he will throw again is unclear.
“It might be another day or two before he picks it again,” Roberts said. “So right now, I think it’s safe to say that he didn’t feel great coming out of it. Where that has us right now, I really don’t know. But I know he’ll probably take a step back until he starts feeling better.”
Kershaw, 30, had been given anti-inflammatory medication during his break from throwing but didn’t undergo any testing. Roberts said Monday that Kershaw is not scheduled for an MRI exam.
“I think the medical staff’s got a handle on it,” Roberts said. “I’ll touch base with them this evening and figure out the course of action for Clayton.”
Kershaw was initially slated to play catch again on Tuesday before throwing a light bullpen session, perhaps later in the week. He had previously thrown last Wednesday, when he logged a bullpen session. His shoulder began bothering him two days earlier during a live batting practice session.
On Sunday, Roberts suggested Kershaw’s effort to throw harder after having his velocity drop last season could have contributed to his setback. Kershaw has spent time on the injured list with a shoulder injury once in his career; he missed time in 2014 with a shoulder strain.
The season is still a month away, but Kershaw, named the Dodgers’ opening day starter last week, is a question mark the team didn’t foresee.
“It’s not ideal,” Roberts said. “You hope when he picks up the ball, he comes out of it feeling better. So, obviously it’s not ideal, but we’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”
Joint meeting with MLBPA
Every year, MLB Players Assn. officials meet with each club individually during spring training. Players ask questions. Union leaders provide answers. This year, however, the Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Chicago White Sox decided to hold their meeting with the MLBPA together Sunday night. The change was made at a time when players have grown annoyed with how free agency has played out each of the past two winters.
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner emerged encouraged.
“It was incredible to see 160, 170 guys in one room, showing up, engaged in the conversations and hearing different guys stand up and address the group,” Turner said. “It was special. It was a special night.”
Turner said leaders from the three teams elected to organize a joint meeting over dinner recently. The idea, he said, was that it would be productive for players to hear from different voices and perspectives.
“Especially in spring training, you hear the same guys talk over and over again,” Turner said. “I think it carries more weight when you get that group of guys together and guys from the Rangers and the White Sox see Clayton Kershaw sitting there. We see Hunter Pence in the room, and you see Russell Martin — guys of that caliber standing up and speaking their mind. It was special.”
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Twitter: @jorgecastillo
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