PHOENIX _ Clayton Kershaw will not start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on opening day, manager Dave Roberts announced Monday, confirming what has been obvious for weeks and ending Kershaw's franchise-record streak of consecutive opening day starts at eight.
"When he's ready to pitch for us is when he'll pitch for us," Roberts said.
Shoulder inflammation sabotaged Kershaw's spring days after Roberts had named him the club's opening day starter for the ninth straight year. He went four days without throwing after logging a bullpen session on Feb. 20. He didn't throw off a mound again until March 11, nearly three weeks later. Kershaw threw only fastballs in the first session and again in the second bullpen. He used his entire arsenal off a mound for the first time in his third session Sunday.
Kershaw will next throw in a live batting practice session on Wednesday. If he emerges healthy, he'd ideally throw again on Saturday. Roberts, however, said he isn't sure if that is the plan.
Roberts said Kershaw will travel with the team to Los Angeles when the Dodgers break camp, and not stay behind in Arizona to pitch in minor league games. Teams can backdate injured list stints up to three days before opening day as long as the player does not appear in an official exhibition game. That includes Cactus League and Freeway Series games. Roberts said the club hasn't decided if Kershaw will start the season on the roster.
"But if we don't see him as a starter then it's probably unlikely," Roberts said.
The last time a Dodger not named Kershaw started on opening day was in 2010, when Vicente Padilla got the nod. That was the last time the Dodgers finished a season under .500. Kershaw seized the reins the next year and won his first of three National League Cy Young Awards.
A decision on who will start opening day hasn't been made, Roberts said. Walker Buehler, according to Roberts, remains an option even though he hasn't pitched in a game this spring. Buehler is scheduled to log three innings in his debut Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians at Camelback Ranch. If that goes well, he'll make a four-inning start before the beginning of the season.
Rich Hill is another option. The 39-year-old left-hander has been stretched out to five innings and has enjoyed a better spring training than he's accustomed to, an improvement he attributed to starting a intense offseason throwing program earlier than usual.
