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Fantasy Baseball Impact: Clayton Kershaw Back on the DL

By Bill Pivetz

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 31: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 31: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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Fantasy Baseball
LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 31: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) fantasy baseball /

The Dodgers place Clayton Kershaw back on the DL after just one start. What do you do if you own him in fantasy baseball?

The Los Angeles Dodgers were expected to run away with the National League West title again this season. But, with injuries to Justin Turner and an underperforming offense, they are currently in third place, three games behind first. Things will get a bit more difficult for the Dodgers and fantasy baseball owners as they placed Clayton Kershaw back on the DL with a lower back strain.

Kershaw made just two starts in May as he was dealing with biceps tendonitis. Before the DL stint, he didn’t look like his usual self. In his first seven starts, he posted a 2.86 ERA, 1.136 WHIP, 9.8 K9 and 2.0 BB9. He was not pitching deep into games. Kershaw was averaging 6.29 innings per start.

Kershaw made his first start on May 31 against the Philadelphia Phillies but lasted just five innings while giving up one run on four hits and struck out five. His fastball maxed out at 90 MPH, down about 2 MPH from last season.

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Kershaw was giving up fewer ground balls and more line drives, which resulted in the higher WHIP and batting average against. Batters were making harder contact against him, 29.4 this season compared to a 25.1 career hard-hit rate.

This injury is something familiar to Kershaw. He spent five weeks on the DL last season for the same issue. However, without finding out more information, there’s no exact timetable of when you can expect Kershaw back on the mound.

Pedro Moura, Dodgers beat writer for The Athletic, tweeted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expects another lengthy absence from his star pitcher.

If that is the case, that puts his return around the beginning of July. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t return until after the All-Star break. This is the third-straight season that Kershaw will miss significant time. He hasn’t made 30 starts since 2015.

If you own him, regardless of league format, you need to stash him. Even if he hasn’t looked like his Cy-Young self, Kershaw is still one of the best pitchers in the game. You will not find someone of his caliber, or even 80 percent of it, on the waiver wire.

The downside is that you don’t know how long you’ll be without him. As someone who averaged as the sixth overall pick in ESPN leagues, this does raise an important question.

Is Kershaw worth drafting in the first round next season?

My simple answer is no. He hasn’t been as consistent that the other starting pitchers in the elite tier. I would feel more comfortable drafting him in the middle of the second round, if not the beginning of the third, but that’s a topic for another day.

If you need a replacement, check out my post on three starting pitchers you need to add here. Another name to consider adding is Jaime Barria from the other Los Angeles team.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots for June 2

Fantasy owners will be without Kershaw for an unknown amount of time, but I’d set expectations around at least a month. He’s still talented but the injuries are adding up, causing a drop in his fantasy value in both the short and long-term.

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