Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw learning to be patient during recovery from surgery – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES – Just like you, Clayton Kershaw had a hard time getting up early to watch the Dodgers open the season in South Korea.

“It was 5 a.m. in Texas. I think I got it done in the third inning,” Kershaw said Saturday. “I was helping the kids get ready for school, watching them.”

That’s all Kershaw can do these days: watch. As the fifth anniversary of the first surgery of his career (to repair the capsule in his left shoulder) approaches, Kershaw is on the sidelines, working on the first steps of a pitching program while the Dodgers play without him.

“It’s been weird,” said Kershaw, who spent only a few weeks with the team during spring training before joining the Dodgers this week. “It’s great to be able to spend more time with family. I won’t lie about that. But it’s really weird not to be inside inside.

“Being here for opening week and I’ll be here for home stays most of the time is good. I need this. I need to feel like I’m in the mix at least a little bit. Be part of it. It’s good for me. It’s fun to come here every day. I don’t take this for granted. It’s been a good week.

Kershaw was on the field before Saturday’s game, throwing from about 120 feet, then throwing even more on flat ground with increased intensity.

“Just increase the intensity a little bit and start throwing a little harder than just lobbing it,” he said. “Once I get to 60 feet again, I start throwing with a little more intensity.”

At some point in May, he hopes to be able to get rid of a mound for the first time since the surgery. The forecast for a return to action “in July/August” remains, he said.

“I just had no expectations. I didn’t know what to expect,” Kershaw said. “Dr. ElAttrache is confident in the timeline. I trusted him and so far it’s going very well.

Her four children noticed the scar on her shoulder. Kershaw noticed a difference in the way his shoulder felt. But he is typically circumspect when it comes to providing details.

“It’s definitely different in a good way.” So far,” he said. “There’s some pain and stiffness and stuff from the surgery, which I think is pretty normal. I still get that from time to time .The stuff I had before, it’s different, that’s for sure. It’s about as accurate as it gets.

Kershaw has dealt with injuries every year over the past few seasons. The regulated nature of rehabilitation after surgery, however, is a new experience for him.

“I think the only good thing for me is when you don’t have surgery, you can just walk away from it and say you’re going to be ready,” Kershaw said. “In my head I’m like, ‘Well, if I don’t need surgery, then I don’t need to get better and I can go.’ » But with surgery, you have to do some limited things.

“It’s really helpful for my patience level to know that you can’t play baseball for three months, and then you really have to prepare for the next three months. I think stepping stones are very helpful for my brain, unlike to the wait-and-see approach – which is all I’ve ever known. I’ve never done that before.”

CENTER ON PARIS

Mookie Betts faced the biggest challenge of his career by switching to shortstop just before the season started. Betts puts in extra work at shortstop on a daily basis, working with coach Dino Ebel and receiving tutoring from Miguel Rojas.

None of this affected him at the plate. Before Saturday’s game, Betts was 8 for his first 14 with three homers, six runs batted in and nine scored. He reached base in 13 of his first 19 plate appearances.

“I think the nice thing about Mookie is that it’s really two separate things,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Betts’ ability to separate his defensive responsibilities from his offensive game. “He got off to a good start because he got off to a good start. The defense – learning a new position, arguably the hardest on the field – does not carry over to the offense. I think he’s just unique in that sense.

“I think you could argue that it could take a toll on your mental ability to perform offensively if you take on the challenge of learning a new position like shortstop. But for him, it just doesn’t bother him. He did a good job of compartmentalizing.

ALSO

Right-hander Walker Buehler is expected to start Sunday for Triple-A Oklahoma City in Tacoma. Buehler is expected to throw between 40 and 50 pitches in the first of several rehab starts. Buehler is not expected to return late from Tommy John surgery until May.

FOLLOWING

Cardinals (LHP Steven Matz, 4-7, 3.86 ERA in 2023) at Dodgers (RHP Gavin Stone, 1-1, 9.00 ERA in 2023), Sunday, 4:10 p.m. PT, ESPN, 570 AM