LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw's return the Dodgers took another step forward on Wednesday with a 38-pitch simulated game at Dodger Stadium.
Five hours before newly acquired righty Yu Darvish made his home debut against the White Sox, Kershaw tossed a few warm-up pitches in the Dodgers' bullpen and then took the mound with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, manager Dave Roberts and general manager Farhan Zaidi watching closely. Yasmani Grandal caught Kershaw as Chase Utley, Joc Pederson and Rob Segedin stood in for two innings against the ace lefty.
Asked how Kershaw looked during the session, Utley quipped, "I think if the kid keeps it up, he has a future."

The Dodgers haven't missed a beat without their ace, going 16-3 in the 19 games he's missed with a lower back strain that landed him on the 10-day disabled list. Roberts came away pleased with Kershaw's outing and said the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner is set for a three-inning, 45-pitch simulated game on Monday.
"Execution wasn't where he might have wanted," Roberts said. "He came out of it feeling good about things. We settled on two innings, up and down and kind of finish with a win. He was probably lobbying for a third, but two is good."
Worth noting
• Lefty Grant Dayton will go on a rehab assignment when the team travels to Detroit this weekend, Roberts said. Dayton will make appearances for Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was placed on the DL July 28 for the third time this season with neck stiffness and has missed 37 games.