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Dodgers not interested in rushing Kershaw back from injury

Harry How / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Los Angeles Dodgers are content with giving ace Clayton Kershaw all the time he needs.

Though currently only 5 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West, manager Dave Roberts isn't eager to etch a date in stone for the southpaw starter's return from a mild disk herniation, despite Kershaw successfully throwing a 60-pitch simulated game Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

"After that, we're just making sure he feels his body feels 100 percent ready to come back because when he does come back, we want him to stay healthy," Roberts said Sunday, according to ESPN's Doug Padilla. "That's why we're being extra cautious as we are with all of our players. A couple, two, three days, to see how his body responds, and how he feels, will give us a lot more clarity. Right now, as we've been, we're reluctant to put any return date for Clayton. You have to defer to his health, obviously."

Kershaw hasn't pitched in a real game for the Dodgers since complaining about minor back discomfort on June 26. He was later given an epidural injection by the team before being placed on the 15-day disabled list, though a return could be just as likely on the road as it is at home, according to Roberts.

"I think that for Clayton, if he feels well and the doctors support it, then whether it's on the road or at home, that decision will be made," Roberts said. "I can't even speak to when that would be. We're trying to give it just a couple more days to see how he feels. I think that after the exertion, when things start to settle, his body will feel a certain way, whether he feels refreshed and not sore or he feels sore, and we have to readjust."

Kershaw has undoubtedly been the Dodgers' MVP this season, posting league-best marks in ERA (1.79), WHIP (0.727), and walks per nine innings (0.7).

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