LHP Clayton Kershaw comes out of simulated game 'feeling really good'

DENVER -- It might have been the most important two innings of the season as Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw completed a simulated outing Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, his first time facing hitters in 45 days.

Kershaw, who has been out since June 26 with a back injury, is trying to get back to the Dodgers at some point in September, and Tuesday's outing was a major part of the process.

"It was a great step in his progression," said team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who is with the club in Colorado. "He felt great after, which is obviously everything he cared about. As we knew he would do, he said he was not as sharp as he wanted to be, but he's always going to say that. The most important thing is that he felt great and we will assess tomorrow what the next steps are."

Manager Dave Roberts suggested that under one scenario, Kershaw could be back with the Dodgers on the next homestand, pitching a short, four-inning outing as he builds up his length again. It seems likely, though, that a minor league rehab outing would be next.

"My guess is that Kersh will want to pitch in a major league game tomorrow," Friedman said. "With the time that he's missed, my guess is that the next step will be a minor league assignment. I think it will take a little bit of time to build him up in a way for him to be strong through September and hopefully October as well."

Kershaw was hurtling toward a fourth Cy Young Award -- and a possible National League MVP award -- when his back sabotaged him after a start at Pittsburgh. He was diagnosed with a mild disk herniation at the time.

He went through the initial rehab process and on July 16 he tried to throw a simulated game, similar to Tuesday's, but had a setback that forced him to start his rehab all over again.

The Dodgers are trying to be careful with Kershaw's rehab process, knowing their staff ace will push has hard as he can in order to return. Friedman said Kershaw has "a lot" of input in the process.

"But you have to also balance that with the fact that he's as competitive a person as I have ever been around, and he wants to get out here and help this team in the worst way," Friedman said. "We'll have to balance the medical opinion with how he is doing and feeling and getting him back as soon as we can, but in the most responsible way possible."

Kershaw was 11-2 after his first 16 starts and had a 1.79 ERA. Most incredible of all, he had 145 strikeouts in 121 innings against just nine walks and was exceeding at a level beyond what he had even operated at before.

What he is like when he returns remains to be seen. And when he returns is also up in the air. Friedman was asked if it's possible that Kershaw could have a second minor league start, in a playoff game, before he comes back.

"I don't know," Friedman said. "All of this is speculative. We will see how he's doing tomorrow. But the most important thing is that he got through today feeling really good. We'll kind of lay out the next steps tomorrow."