Kershaw was given off Thursday after expressing frustration with Wednesday's live batting practice session, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "He didn't feel his best and we knew it was going to rain today so I told him to just go home," manager Dave Roberts said. "He's a little down, so I just said go home. He just didn't feel right."
The three-time Cy Young winner was happy with his first two bullpen sessions to open camp, but it sounds like Wednesday was a step backward for Kershaw. Roberts made it clear that he didn't want to "overplay" it, adding that Kershaw "didn't say he was hurt, just that it didn't feel as good as he wanted to feel." While the skipper is trying to downplay the situation, this should put Kershaw under the microscope moving forward in spring training. The lefty's fastball velocity was down close to two ticks last season as he once again dealt with back issues along with a shoulder injury.