The Los Angeles Dodgers placed left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the injured list on Monday because of left shoulder soreness. The Dodgers also demoted lefty reliever Victor González so they could promote right-handed starters Gavin Stone and Michael Grove from Triple-A, according to MLB.com's Juan Toribio.
Kershaw had been slated to start Monday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the opener of a four-game set. Grove will instead get the nod in that contest. He has appeared in nine games this season for the big-league club, compiling a 7.54 ERA (59 ERA+) and a 2.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Stone should be available to pitch in relief, having skipped his start over the weekend in preparation for this exact possibility.
Kershaw, 35, goes to the shelf having started 16 games this season. In those appearances, he had amassed a 2.55 ERA (174 ERA+) and a 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 95 innings. His contributions were worth an estimated 3.2 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
It's worth noting that Kershaw was named to the National League All-Star team on Sunday for the 10th time in his career. He'll have to be replaced on the active roster over the coming days by another pitcher.
Kershaw's absence comes just days after fellow lefty Julio Urías rejoined the Dodgers for his first start since May. The Dodgers are also currently without starters Walker Buehler, Ryan Pepiot, Dustin May and Noah Syndergaard.
The Dodgers entered Monday with a 46-37 record on the season, good for second place in the NL West, three games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers will conclude the first half this weekend against the Los Angeles Angels.
