Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw lands on injured list with back stiffness; Dustin May gets Opening Day start
Kershaw is out with a back injury
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
A few hours prior to his scheduled Opening Day start against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 10-day injured list with back stiffness, the team announced. Righty Dustin May was recalled from the alternate site and will start the season opener in Kershaw's place.
"I don't know the timeline. Only time will tell," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Kershaw's status during a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon. Roberts added the injury occurred in the weight room and the team "didn't feel it was prudent to start him."
Kershaw, 32, has spent time on the injured list each of the past four seasons, including back trouble each year from 2016-18. He also had biceps trouble in 2018 and a shoulder problem in 2019. Kershaw has averaged 166 innings the last four seasons after averaging 225 2/3 innings the previous five seasons.
"We let Dustin May know yesterday that this was a possibility and this is the way it's played out," Roberts added. May will be the first rookie-eligible pitcher to start Opening Day since in Rafael Roque with the Brewers in 1999, and the first Dodgers rookie to start Opening Day since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
The Dodgers have enviable rotation depth and being able to plug in a highly regarded rookie like May at the last minute is a luxury. Our R.J. Anderson ranked May the 10th best prospect in baseball and says he has a ceiling "as a No. 2 starter." The 22-year-old had a 3.63 ERA in 34 2/3 innings during his MLB debut last season.
Los Angeles' rotation depth chart looks like this at the moment:
- LHP Clayton Kershaw (on injured list)
- RHP Walker Buehler
- LHP Julio Urias
- LHP Alex Wood
- RHP Ross Stripling
- RHP Dustin May
- RHP Tony Gonsolin
Stripling is scheduled to start Game 2 of the season on Friday and will be followed by Urias, Wood, and Buehler in that order. Buehler is a preseason Cy Young candidate, but because he did not get fully stretched out during Summer Camp, the Dodgers are taking it easy on him early in the season.
As good as the Dodgers are -- Sportsline projects them to win an MLB-best 40 wins in 2020 -- losing Kershaw for any length of time is significant. He remains excellent, having thrown 178 1/3 innings with a 3.03 ERA last season, and any stumble in the short 60-game season will hurt the team's chances.
