Clayton Kershaw left off Dodgers' NLDS roster

Today at 02:02 PM

The Los Angeles Dodgers revealed their NLDS roster ahead of Game 1 on Saturday night against the San Diego Padres and there was one notable absence.

Clayton Kershaw wasn’t included, per David Vassegh. Veteran reliever Joe Kelly was also left off the roster. Kershaw has been out since the beginning of September due to a toe injury. Rehab has been slow for the left-hander and GM Brandon Gomes said earlier this week he’s unlikely to pitch in the second round of the postseason. Via USA Today:

“We will continue to see how he is progressing,” Gomes told reporters Wednesday. “I think we all know (Kershaw), if it gets to a point where he feels like he can go, we’ll go, but currently he isn’t any closer.”

Kershaw was seen long tossing on Thursday but it sounds like he’s yet to get on a mound and throw at 100%. While the 10-time All-Star is one of the most decorated pitchers in franchise history, he has struggled immensely in October baseball. The last time he pitched in the playoffs was last season, allowing six runs in the first inning in the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kershaw only registered two outs before getting pulled.

Overall, the Dodgers southpaw owns a career 4.49 ERA in the postseason. At the end of September, Kershaw explained why it’s been a slow burn when it comes to recovering from the toe issue:

"I'm doing what I can, but the more I throw, the more I compensate with other stuff," Kershaw said, via True Blue LA. "There's only a certain percentage I can throw without other stuff starting to bother me, because I'm throwing differently."

As for Kelly, he had a shoulder injury but returned a couple of weeks ago. While he does have playoff experience, the Dodgers included rookie Edgardo Henriquez instead.

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