Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was put on the disabled list for 10 days due to stiffness in his back and will not make his scheduled start in Thursday’s opening day game against the San Francisco Giants, the team announced.
The Dodgers recalled right-hander Dustin May, who will start in place of Kershaw. May will be the first Dodgers rookie to start opening day since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Kershaw’s back stiffened in the weight room on Tuesday. The left-hander felt better Wednesday, but manager Dave Roberts said he “didn’t feel it was wise to start it.” Roberts said the team is erring on the side of caution, but doesn’t know how long Kershaw will be out.
Kershaw would have made his ninth opening day for the Dodgers. He also missed Opening Day last year when the season started on the disabled list due to swelling in his left shoulder. He was replaced by Hyun-Jin Ryu, who signed with Toronto in December.
Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA on opening day.
May was dropped from the Dodgers’ 30-player list earlier in the day after being selected for the team’s alternate training site earlier in the week. Outfielder Terrance Gore was called in for May.
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