Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw left Friday’s game early due to bone spurs, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Roberts told reporters Friday night that Kershaw has been dealing with the injury “off and on” for a couple of years.
The 10-time All-Star was pulled in the second inning of the Dodgers’ win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, immediately after giving up a solo homer to Arizona’s Corbin Carroll. The Dodgers originally said that it was due to left big toe pain, but Roberts clarified after the game that Kershaw has a bone spur in his left foot.
“It’s obviously not good. There’s swelling, there’s pain,” Roberts said. “Some starts it feels fine and it’s not impeding. Today certainly it was.”
Roberts said that Kershaw approached him after the first inning, saying that his toe was bothering him and that he was “gonna give us what he has,” prompting Roberts to keep a close eye on him.
“He had no legs today, obviously, and then you start worrying about how it could affect his arm, and so there was just no other alternative but to take him out in that second inning,” Roberts said. “He just had nothing left.”
Roberts said that a stint on IL is possible, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.
Kershaw told reporters after the game that he couldn’t “push off” as a result of the injury, but that he and the team would reassess on Saturday.
“It’s frustrating when everything else seems to be feeling great, but no matter what I did I couldn’t find a comfortable way to push off on my toe,” Kershaw said.
Roberts said that, as a result of Kershaw’s injury, they had to put in a few pitchers that they weren’t planning on using that night, affecting their pitch count and how they can be used in future games. Now, the Dodgers will be bringing in a pitcher — likely from one of their affiliates — to pitch most of the innings tonight as the series against the Diamondbacks continues.
The Dodgers ended up beating the Diamondbacks 10-9, despite a late four-run surge from Arizona in the ninth inning. Los Angeles has a 81-54 record and is in great position to win the NL West, but losing one of its best pitchers could complicate that lead.