News Every Day | 22 June 2024, 05:04

Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw ready for next step, Walker Buehler in limbo

LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw is ready for the next step in his plan to return to the mound for the Dodgers. But the plan for Walker Buehler’s next step is not “finalized” yet.

Kershaw will make his second rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City in Reno. Pitching in a game for the first time since shoulder surgery in November, Kershaw threw 37 pitches in three innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga earlier this week.

After the start in Rancho Cucamonga, Kershaw referred to making “three or four more rehab starts. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it hasn’t been determined yet how many rehab starts Kershaw will need but “I think three is going to be the floor and we’ll figure things out from there.”

Buehler, meanwhile, was placed on the injured list, ostensibly with inflammation in his right hip. But the move was actually made to allow Buehler a chance to step back and re-assess where he is at in his return from a second Tommy John surgery. Buehler has a 5.84 ERA and 1.51 WHIP after eight starts this season.

“We haven’t figured that one out completely,” Roberts said when asked how things will proceed from here for Buehler. “I think with Walker, it’s sort of trying to figure out who he is as a pitcher right now, where his body is at. He’s a lot heavier and stronger than he was before the surgery. So to kind of figure out how his body is moving, related to the pitch mechanics and delivery.

“It’s going to be a process. We haven’t finalized where this is going to take place. Obviously we’ll have our hands on things. But it might be an off-site thing or internal or a combo. I’m not sure yet.”

Roberts said he doesn’t see any mechanical differences “to the eye” because of Buehler’s physical changes. The 29-year-old right-hander reported to spring training at 205 pounds, up 20 from his usual playing weight, hoping to protect his elbow after having surgery to repair both the UCL and flexor tendon. The Dodgers are investigating what effect that might be having on Buehler’s mechanics, Roberts indicated.

“I do know the body composition, when you’re adding more muscle, more weight, the sequencing is a little bit different,” Roberts said. “The execution, the command of his pitches is just not the same. So we’re trying to ‘sus’ that out and figure out where we go from there. But I don’t think it’s going to be a long process.”

ROSTER MOVES

Knack was added to the roster for Friday night’s start against the Angels and reliever J.P. Feyereisen was sent back to Triple-A. Feyereisen has an 8.18 ERA in 10 appearances with the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers also activated right-hander Kyle Hurt from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. Hurt was already pitching for OKC, technically on a rehab assignment. He had been out since mid-April with a shoulder injury.

In order to activate Hurt, the Dodgers had to clear a 40-man roster spot for him. They did that by moving third baseman Max Muncy to the 60-day injured list. Muncy has been out since May 16 with a strained oblique muscle. He has been taking ground balls on the field but has not been cleared to start swinging a bat.

The move means Muncy will not be eligible to return until after the All-Star break next month.