Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Kershaw, Hill, Kemp, Trade

The Dodgers split the doubleheader with Chicago but won the first game of two in exciting fashion with a Kyle Farmer walk-off double. Here is the other news from that day.

Clayton Kershaw is officially scheduled for a rehab start on Saturday, June 23, with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kershaw is slated to pitch four innings or 65 pitches in his rehab appearance against the same Triple-A team he faced last year following the identical injury. Dave Roberts also shared with the media that Kershaw, bearing a healthy rehab start, will rejoin the rotation the following week. Kershaw should hopefully be the first of many injured Dodgers to return from the DL which should normalize the roster in the coming weeks.

Other notes…

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dramatically in his first start in a month and was also able to regain some trust from both management and the fan base. So long as he stays healthy, Hill should remain a starter as the reward for good outings is tremendous from a pitcher set to make $35,333,332 over the course of this season and the next one.

• Matt Kemp has had a stellar year and has obviously caught everyone’s attention. The 33-year old outfielder has turned enough heads in 2018 to have received the third most votes for outfielders in the All-Star balloting and it is with the fanbase’s help that he will stay there and ultimately make his third career All-Star Game appearance. This year, Kemp has played serviceable defense in right and left field all while hitting .327 with 12 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .924 OPS. Kemp’s weight loss over the offseason could certainly be a factor in this year’s performance but regardless, it has been quite the show from the superstar.

Next: The Dodgers Reliever Wish List Shrinks With Herrera Off the Board

• A day after the Nationals acquired Kelvin Herrera from the Royals, news broke that the Dodgers were very involved in trade talks with the Royals to acquire the superb relief pitcher. The news serves as an interesting reminder that the team is very much involved in the trade market even in the month of June. Missing out on Herrera is certainly a bummer and missed opportunity to add extreme success to the late innings of the bullpen hierarchy but, even while losing Herrera, there exists an expansive market for relievers this year.