Will Clayton Kershaw's Body Stop MLB Reign Far Too Soon?

Clayton Kershaw took the hill for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. That was significant news, as the southpaw hadn't toed the slab for L.A. since May 1, when he went on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. 

Initially, it was good news for the Dodgers. Kershaw lasted five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. He struck out five while allowing one walk, four hits and one earned run.

It wasn't a shutdown performance—Los Angeles lost 2-1—but it appeared to be a step in the right direction for the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner.

Then came the bad news.

Kershaw's back tightened during the game and he'll undergo an MRI, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. 

The Dodgers ace, you'll recall, battled debilitating back injuries in 2016 and 2017. He hasn't eclipsed 200 innings since 2015.

It's worth asking: Is Kershaw's body betraying him and ending his reign as MLB's top pitcher before his time?

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In addition to his trio of Cy Youngs, Kershaw has won an NL MVP Award and made seven All-Star teams. Since 2010, he leads all pitchers with 52.8 WAR by FanGraphs' measure, easily outpacing runner-up Max Scherzer (42.9 WAR). 

He is, by any metric, the best hurler of his generation. Other than some notable postseason hiccups, his Hall of Fame case is close to open and shut.

Kershaw is only 30 years old. Despite the stats and hardware he's amassed, he could theoretically dominate for another half-decade or more.

Not if injuries get in the way, though. As David Vassegh of 570 LA Sports noted, Kershaw wasn't popping the radar gun against the Phils:

Per MLB.com's Andrew Simon, Kershaw bailed himself out with his changeup, slider and curveball. Those offspeed offerings deserve praise, but they are meant to play off the heater rather than replacing it.

Add the angst over Kershaw's back and you're looking at trouble in SoCal no matter the results of the MRI.

One season after marching to Game 7 of the World Series, the Dodgers are 26-30, tied with the archrival San Francisco Giants for third place in the NL West. In Kershaw's starts, they're 2-6.

"It's beyond frustrating," Kershaw said, per ESPN.com. "You feel like you're out of the woods and feeling good and then this creeps up on you. I'm frustrated that I can't contribute to the team."

Scherzer has struck out 120 in 79.2 innings with a 1.92 ERA for the Washington Nationals. The New York Mets' Jacob deGrom boasts a 1.52 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. 

Over in the American League, the Houston Astros' Justin Verlander (1.11 ERA, 98 SO, 81.1 IP) and Cleveland Indians' Corey Kluber (2.02 ERA, 88 SO, 84.2 IP) are making their owns claims to the alpha-ace throne. 

Betting against Kershaw would be foolish. He's returned from injury and mowed down the competition before. He's out of his 20s, though, and looking less invincible than ever before. 

Kershaw has drawn frequent comparisons to Sandy Koufax. Both are left-handers who embarrassed opposing hitters in Dodger blue. Both won three Cy Young Awards and an MVP Award. Koufax threw for 12 seasons. Kershaw is in his 11th.

Koufax was an all-time performer who was undone by injuries. Will Kershaw suffer the same fate?

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Until now, the assumption was Kershaw would opt out of the final two seasons of his seven-year, $215 million contract and seek an even richer payday with the Dodgers or some other squad. Given his injuries and underperformance, he might willingly opt in.

"People assume that because you were good last year, that you're going to be good again," Kershaw said this spring, per Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein. 

Surely he wasn't attempting to be prescient. Surely he didn't anticipate this moment.

But for a team relying on his dominance and a league looking to him to pace the pack, his words ring disturbingly true.

All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference.