Clayton Kershaw injury: Dodgers star could head back to IL after leaving start against D-backs in second inning

Los Angeles Dodgers veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw was forced to miss his opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday because of a bone bruise in his left big toe. After the game, manager Dave Roberts suggested Kershaw could be placed on the injured list.

Kershaw threw just 27 pitches in what turned out to be a thrilling and crucial 10-9 win for the first-place Dodgers over the D-backs at Chase Field. Kershaw gave up three runs in his only inning. Kershaw attempted to continue pitching in the second inning, but was taken out after giving up a home run to Corbin Carroll.

“It’s obviously not good,” Roberts said after the game, via Jack Harris. “There’s swelling. There’s pain. He’s doing everything he can to move forward in some way. Some of the early days it seems fine and it’s not hindering. That was certainly the case today. He just, he had nothing. He obviously had no leg today. Then you start worrying about how it could affect his arm. There was no other option but to take him out.”

The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer has endured a flurry of injuries in recent years. This season, Kershaw didn’t make his first start for the Dodgers until July 25 due to offseason shoulder surgery. He hasn’t pitched a qualifying number of innings in a season since 2019. This season, he has pitched to a 4.50 ERA and 3.54 FIP in 30 innings and seven starts.

Kershaw’s injury is the latest for a Dodgers rotation that has been hampered by health issues into 2024. LA currently has six starting pitchers on the IL, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

The Dodgers will enter Game 2 of their series with Arizona on Saturday with an 81-54 record and now hold a five-game lead over those same D-backs in the National League West.