ST. LOUIS _ Clayton Kershaw was with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on Monday, one day before he will head to Tulsa, Okla., to make his second rehab start for the organization's double-A affiliate. If he emerges healthy from the performance Tuesday, his next outing will be in a Dodger uniform.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the plan is for Kershaw, who began the season on the 10-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, to make his season debut at Dodger Stadium either Sunday on regular rest against the Milwaukee Brewers or Monday against the Cincinnati Reds.
"We'll kind of let him get through his start," Roberts said, "and we'll plug him in where it makes the most sense."
Roberts expects Kershaw to log five or six innings Tuesday against the Springfield Cardinals, the St. Louis Cardinals' double-A club.
The left-hander gave up two runs in 4 1/3 innings for triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday in his first game action of 2019.
Kershaw's shoulder inflammation, which forced him to stop throwing in late February, set him back far enough to give him time to appear in a game in spring training.
Kershaw will take Julio Urias' spot in the rotation when he returns, pushing Urias to the bullpen after his scheduled start against the Brewers on Friday. Urias allowed three runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. He will pitch multiple innings as a reliever, supplying a formidable arm capable of finishing games.
While Kershaw pitches in Tulsa, Rich Hill, who began the season on the injured list because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, will throw a bullpen session at Busch Stadium.
Hill, who made 20 pitches in his first bullpen session since the injury, said he expects to throw 35 to 40 pitches.
