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Muscle strain to sideline Kershaw at least a month

SAN DIEGO -- Injured Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw is likely to be sidelined for a month or longer, the club revealed Tuesday.

"After consultation with Dr. Neal ElAttrache and a review of the MRI scan, Kershaw will be placed on a rehab that includes a submaximal throwing program for the next two to three weeks," the team said in a release.

"He will then be reevaluated by ElAttrache to determine when he can start throwing at increased velocity. The timetable on when he might return to Major League competition will be determined when he is reevaluated in two to three weeks."

Kershaw was placed on the disabled list Saturday, retroactive to March 23, with a strained Teres Major muscle strain near his left armpit, with which he apparently pitched in the Australian season opener.

Kershaw was eligible to return April 8, but manager Don Mattingly said he believed the two-time Cy Young Award winner would be out longer than that and will probably need a Minor League rehab assignment.

"We'll let him throw his way back," Mattingly said. "He's gotten far enough away that he'll need a progression [to return]. This is going to take some time."

Kershaw's absence from the rotation means Hyun-Jin Ryu is the likely starter in Friday's home opener against the Giants, with Paul Maholm expected to start Saturday and Zack Greinke on Sunday.

Injured starter Josh Beckett, who threw a 48-pitch simulated game on Monday, could be activated soon, Mattingly said, even though he is not built up for a 100-pitch start.

"If we need him, it would be a shorter outing," Mattingly said of Beckett.

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw