Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has had a weird spring this year, and while weird springs aren’t new to the superstar lefty, this year has been weird in a new way. Kersh was originally scheduled to be on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, so he spent the offseason preparing as if he’d miss a couple weeks in training camp.
The result was Kershaw showing up to LA’s spring camp at Camelback Ranch closer to game-ready than he usually does. So when an insurance issue forced the future Hall of Famer off the WBC roster, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts was faced with a new challenge: how to take his foot off the gas pedal with Kershaw’s preparation to have him ready by Opening Day on March 30 instead of, like, March 15.