The Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday placed left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the injured list, a day after he left his start at San Francisco with lower back pain.
The team activated utility man Chris Taylor (foot) from the injured list, recalled right-hander Reyes Moronta and optioned outfielder James Outman.
Kershaw said he felt discomfort while he was warming up before the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner winced and pointed to his dugout, and then walked off the field gingerly with an athletic trainer.
“Just felt something kind of lock up there in the fifth and couldn’t really throw after that,” Kershaw said Thursday. “Something in my back again. … I saw a doctor, but really nothing to do until — just see how I wake up in the morning, is probably the first thing, and then go from there.”
The 34-year-old Kershaw made 66 pitches through four innings, allowing one earned run and three hits with four strikeouts. He left with a 4-2 lead and the Dodgers went on to beat the Giants 5-3 to complete a four-game sweep.
“Obviously, anytime a pitcher’s got to come out of a game, there’s some concern level,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday. “Given it’s his back — which has been problematic at times — we just won’t know more until we get some tests.”
Kershaw has dealt with back issues throughout much of his career. He spent time on the injured list earlier this season due to inflammation in a pelvic joint.
Kershaw is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 15 starts.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.