The return of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, 35, who has been sidelined by injury, is finally imminent.

The Orange County Register reported the latest on Kershaw, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list (IL) with left shoulder soreness on July 7 (KST).

“바카라사이트 Kershaw threw a bullpen session today,” the outlet reported, “and said in his post-pitch interview, ‘It went well. Whatever’s next, I’m ready for it,’ he said afterward, expressing confidence in his return to the big league mound.”

It’s not known if Kershaw will make a rehab start in the minors before returning to a major league mound. “While nothing has been revealed about Kershaw’s future timetable, one encouraging fact is that the Dodgers are in first place in the National League West even in the absence of their ace,” the outlet said.

When Kershaw went on the disabled list on April 4, things were looking bleak for the Dodgers. They were in a tight race with Arizona and San Francisco for first place in the division. Kershaw, who had just been selected to his 10th All-Star Game, the most in franchise history, was not feeling well enough to play.

Kershaw in action.
But even in their ace’s absence, the Dodgers have balanced their lineup and remain in first place in the division with a 64-46 record and a .582 winning percentage through seven days. They have a comfortable four-game lead over second-place San Francisco. They are 8.5 games back of third-place Arizona. The return of Kershaw will give the Rockies even more momentum in their defense of their lead. Kershaw has been out for 40 days since his last start, a six-inning no-hitter against Colorado on June 28.

Kershaw, a native of Texas, first came to the attention of South Korean fans in 2008 when he was 20 years old and competed with “Korean Superstar” Chan Ho Park (50-retired) for the Dodgers’ starting job in spring training. After going 5-5 in his first year in the majors, Kershaw went on to become one of the league’s most dominant pitchers, winning the Cy Young Award for the best pitcher three times.

In 2011, his era was capped by winning the so-called “Triple Crown” of pitching: wins, earned run average, and strikeouts. Now in his 16th year in the majors, Kershaw has a career record of 207-91 with a 2.48 ERA.

This season, he was right in line with his prime, going 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 16 starts before an injury sidelined him.