LOS ANGELES _ Clayton Kershaw will make his rehab start Thursday for triple-A Oklahoma City, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday.
A start in the minors was scheduled since Saturday _ when he threw a three-inning simulated game at Dodger Stadium and emerged healthy _ but the location had not been determined.
The team, citing logistics and potential weather, was choosing between Oklahoma City and double-A Tulsa.
He will start for Oklahoma City against the San Antonio Missions on the teams' opening day.
"So he'll keep his opening day streak alive," Roberts quipped.
Kershaw is on the Dodgers' 10-day injured list _ retroactive to March 25 _ with left shoulder inflammation.
The irritation sabotaged the left-hander's spring training days after he was named the Dodgers' opening-day starter for the ninth straight season.
Hyun-Jin Ruy made the start instead, ending Kershaw's franchise-record streak of eight consecutive opening-day starts.
On March 20, after facing hitters for the first time in over a month, Kershaw estimated he would need another 20 days before he would be ready to join the Dodgers. He landed on that approximation based on adding an inning every five days.
He will pitch four or five innings Thursday. Whether he needs a second rehab start will not be determined after the outing.
Rich Hill would have started on opening day if he hadn't suffered a sprained left medial collateral ligament in his left knee on March 17. The 39-year-old left-hander landed on the 10-day disabled list. Roberts said Hill will throw his first bullpen session since March 19 on either Tuesday or Thursday.
The Dodgers have replaced Hill and Kershaw in the rotation with Ross Stripling and Julio Urias. Stripling logged 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Urias, who will move to the bullpen once Kershaw or Hill returns, made his season debut Monday against the San Francisco Giants.
