
Clayton Kershaw appears to be moving past the shoulder issues that have set him back in spring training, but they may have slowed him down enough to keep him from being ready for Opening Day.
On Monday, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that Kershaw may not have enough time to get ready for his previously slated Opening Day start after he was shut down for a bit due to nagging shoulder discomfort.
#Dodgers Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw’s progress has been good but acknowledged for the first time there might not be enough time for CK to be ready for Opening Day: “That’s fair.”
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) March 4, 2019

An Opening Day start is mostly a prestige thing, so there’s no sense in rushing Kershaw back just to make it. They have other options, one of which would be pretty dumbstruck by the honor, so they’ll take their time with Kershaw and ensure that he doesn’t pitch until he’s ready.