Earlier this week the Los Angeles Dodgers shut down ace Clayton Kershaw indefinitely with what manager Dave Roberts called an "arm kind of thing." Kershaw has dealt with back trouble each of the last three years and also missed time with a shoulder issue last season. His arm acting up before pitching in a spring game is troubling to say the least.

On Saturday, Roberts said Kershaw is feeling better following his "reset," and the team expects him to resume his throwing program sometime next week. The Associated Press has the details:

"Right now, we're going to stick with the same program and see how he feels," Roberts said. "I know talking to him, he feels better physically. When the training staff decides that we can ramp things back up, we will do so." 

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"Just in talking to him and seeing his disposition, he's encouraged by how his body is responding," Roberts said. 

Longtime Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said he "had a premonition" that something was up with Kershaw after watching one of his recent throwing sessions. "What he's going through I think is a feel, it's a feeling of the throws being proper and it's not that you see something mechanical that's the issue. It's more just what's going on inside the joint right now," Honeycutt said.

Late February is no time to push any player through a physical issue, especially the staff ace and one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Dodgers would much rather have Kershaw miss some time now than a lot of time later. If he resumes his throwing program next week, he should have no trouble making his ninth consecutive Opening Day start, extending his franchise record.

Kershaw, 31 next month, threw 161 1/3 innings with a 2.73 ERA around back and shoulder trouble last year. That was his highest ERA since 2010. Kershaw leveraged an opt-out clause in his contract into a three-year, $93 million extension this offseason.