Dodgers place Kershaw on IL with back pain

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without a linchpin of their rotation after they announced Friday that All-Star left-hander Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day injured list with low back pain.

Kershaw exited his start Thursday against the San Francisco Giants after appearing to tweak his back while throwing warmup pitches before the bottom of the fifth inning.

"I just felt something kind of lock up there in the fifth," Kershaw said, according to MLB.com's Juan Toribio. "Couldn't really throw after that."

Following Friday's 8-1 win over the San Diego Padres, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw's MRI didn't reveal anything new with his back and he will rest and rehab the injury, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

This is the second IL stint this season for the 34-year-old. Kershaw missed just over a month with SI joint inflammation, which caused pain in his lower back.

Kershaw has landed on the injured list with back-related issues in five of the last seven seasons.

The Dodgers re-signed Kershaw to a one-year, $17-million deal in March. The future Hall of Famer has authored another sterling campaign in 2022 despite the injury setbacks. He owns a 7-3 record with a 2.64 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings. Kershaw was given his ninth All-Star nod last month and started the game for the first time in his 15-year career.

Los Angeles also announced infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor was activated from the injured list. Taylor has been out of action since early July with a left foot fracture. The Dodgers optioned rookie outfielder James Outman and recalled right-hander Reyes Moronta in corresponding moves.