Dodgers News: Kershaw Rejoins Team Today after Spending the Week in Texas

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, on the injured list with a back issue, spent the last four days at home in Texas with his family, rejoins the team in LA today.

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and that was definitely true of the Kershaw family, at least for a few days.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, on the injured list with a lower-back issue, took a different flight than his teammates when the Dodgers headed from Kansas City to Milwaukee on Sunday night. Instead of Milwaukee, Kershaw flew to Dallas to spend a few days with his family, as reported by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

Kershaw is rejoining the Dodgers as they return to Los Angeles to start a series with the Marlins tonight. According to Plunkett, "The three-time Cy Young Award winner could be ready to start throwing off a mound at some point soon after that."

The Dodgers are looking forward to the return of Kershaw, who has been sidelined since August 4, when he left his start in San Francisco after his back tightened up while warming up before the fifth inning. Kershaw has been throwing lately, but he hasn't thrown from a mound since those warmup pitches.

The plan is for Kershaw to return to the Dodgers in early September, which should give him time to get stretched out and be ready for a full starter's workload in the postseason. They'll want to be cautious, though, with last year fresh in their minds. In 2021, Kershaw returned from an injured list stint in early September and pitched well in three starts, only to suffer an arm injury in the final weekend of the season and miss all of October.

Kershaw has said he expects to be fully ready for the postseason, saying:

"I know what I need to do to get ready for October. I definitely feel I’ll have enough time to accomplish all of that. Which is great. It’s no fun not playing obviously. But I feel we’re in a great spot to be able to build up and work on things and be ready for October."

Kershaw has made 15 starts this season, going 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA.