MLB notebook: Dodgers’ Kershaw to make rehab start

[April 02, 2019]  Clayton Kershaw's run of eight straight Opening Day starts ended due to left shoulder inflammation.

However, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace will have a different type of Opening Day assignment when he makes a rehab start at Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

Kershaw was cleared to make the start after throwing a bullpen session on Monday, and the rehab appearance just happens to be the Triple-A club's season opener against San Antonio.

Los Angeles will see how Kershaw performs on Thursday before deciding the next move. Considering normal rest, the three-time Cy Young winner possibly could make his first major league start of the year on April 9 against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

--The New York Yankees placed slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 left biceps strain.

"He's going to be shut down for 10 days, and then hopefully at that point starts his progression, and hopefully we get him back at some point this month," manager Aaron Boone told reporters. Boone said Stanton was hurt early in Sunday's game on a "funky swing" and played through it, not telling the team until afterward.

New York also placed third baseman Miguel Andujar on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain. The team said tests are pending.

--The Boston Red Sox have signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a six-year extension covering the 2020-25 seasons, the team announced.

The Red Sox did not disclose financial terms, but multiple outlets reported Bogaerts will earn the $12 million in 2019 he was already scheduled to make and $20 million in each of the next six years. There is also a vesting option for 2026 for another $20 million.

Bogaerts, 26, is in his seventh season with the Red Sox. An All-Star in 2016 who won World Series championships with Boston in 2013 and 2018, he batted .288 with a career-high 23 homers and 103 RBIs last season.

-- Cleveland Indians All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor was scheduled to meet with Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, Wis., for a second opinion on his injured ankle.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) signs autographs for fans before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Lindor still was recovering from a moderate right calf strain that he suffered on Feb. 6 when he sustained an acute left ankle sprain in a game at the Indians' minor league camp in Goodyear, Ariz., last Tuesday.

The team's medical staff recommended the appointment with Anderson, manager Terry Francona said.

--The Colorado Rockies placed infielder Daniel Murphy on the 10-day injured list with an avulsion fracture in his left index finger.

Murphy, who was playing first base, was injured when his hand jammed awkwardly into the dirt while fielding a ball in the fourth inning of Friday night's 6-1 win against the Miami Marlins.

He remained in the game and collected a hit in the ninth inning -- his first with the Rockies -- but an X-ray on Saturday revealed the fracture. He was scheduled to visit a hand specialist on Monday.

--The Tampa Bay Rays placed Joey Wendle on the 10-day injured list and recalled fellow infielder Christian Arroyo from Triple-A Durham.

Wendle injured his left hamstring while covering second base on a steal attempt during the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. Pinch hitter Brandon Lowe batted for Wendle in the bottom of the inning.

Wendle, 28, is hitless in seven at-bats this season. In 2018, he batted .300 with seven homers, 61 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 139 games. Arroyo batted .264 in 53 at-bats with the Rays last season.

--Field Level Media

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