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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they demoted outfielder Yasiel Puig to the minor leagues on Tuesday, and he is expected to be sent to their Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said Puig is expected to be in Triple-A by the weekend, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said L.A. made the demotion in order to improve Puig as a “player and person,” per Gurnick. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports initially reported Puig “stormed off” after receiving the news Monday that Los Angeles would either trade him or send him to the minor leagues. Rosenthal later spoke with the outfielder’s agent, Adam Katz, who denied that ever happened:

I’m told he never went to the park. The club informed me and the player understood clearly that they were making every effort to trade him and that if they were unable to come to terms with another club on a trade — and successful in acquiring another outfielder — that he likely would be demoted.

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times confirmed Puig didn’t take the team’s charter flight to Denver for a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies after the Dodgers acquired fellow outfielder Josh Reddick and starting pitcher Rich Hill from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for three pitching prospects.

Reddick is expected to take over as the team’s everyday right fielder. That left the 25-year-old former rookie sensation without a clear role heading into the stretch run.

Puig took the league by storm during his debut campaign in 2013. The Cuba native posted a .391 on-base percentage with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 104 games. He backed it up with a rock-solid 2014 season, registering a .382 OBP, 16 homers and 11 steals.

His numbers have dropped off considerably over the last two years, though. His OPS, which checked in at .925 during that electrifying rookie year, has slid all the way down to .706 in 2016.

Now the question is what happens next.

The Dodgers could hope some time in the minor leagues, far away from the bright lights of Los Angeles, allows him to rediscover the form that made him an impact performer earlier in his career. If that happens, he could still be a major asset before season’s end.

A trade is still a possibility, too. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network believes it’s “very possible” the right fielder could pass through trade waivers, which would make him eligible to get dealt to any team.

Puig expressed his desire to remain with the Dodgers on Sunday, but he acknowledged the situation is beyond his control, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

“If they decide to trade me, then I’ll have to go to another team and work hard there. I just came to this country to play baseball,” he said. “I would like to stay here. But I also understand this is a business. You never know where you are going to end up.”

Puig’s relationships with his teammates and the L.A. front office might have played a part in his demotion as well. 

Many problems have arisen throughout his tumultuous MLB tenure. He was benched for the 2014 season opener after arriving late to the stadium. 

As Molly Knight discussed in her book The Best Team Money Can Buy—and confirmed by Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan—Puig “argued with pitcher Zack Greinke and nearly came to blows with infielder Justin Turner” when Puig wanted to bring a member of his entourage on a team charter flight that is typically for player wives and girlfriends.

One unnamed former Dodger told Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller in December that Puig “is the worst person I’ve ever seen in this game. Ever.” 

There’s time for Puig to get back on track before what are typically a player’s peak seasons, but he has to show a willingness to change his work ethic. It could make him an intriguing buy-low candidate for a non-contending team if he does end up clearing waivers.

The Dodgers may wait to see what some time in the minors does for him first. He’s still full of talent, but it hasn’t translated into much on-field production this season.

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bud Norris left Sunday’s contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a back injury, per an announcement from the team.  

Continue for updates.

Norris Dealing with Muscle Tightness

Sunday, July 31

The Dodgers shared an image of the pitcher leaving the field Sunday: 

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported Norris will have to go through a bullpen session before knowing if he’ll be able to make his next scheduled start. 

Norris pitched a mere 0.1 innings and allowed an earned run and a walk before leaving Sunday’s contest.

Ross Stripling entered the game for Norris as a long reliever who can also start and eat up innings. Stripling is a potential candidate to shoulder more of the load until Norris is ready to return because of his ability to serve as a spot starter (eight starts in 2016) or in middle relief.

Los Angeles acquired Norris from the Atlanta Braves via trade in June after it placed ace Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list. What’s more, Alex Wood is on the 60-day DL, which increased the need to add someone such as Norris at the time.

Entering play Sunday, Norris had 28 appearances for the Dodgers and Braves this season with a 4.27 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 99 innings. He struggled in 2015 (6.72 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres) but was an effective starter in 2014 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 28 starts for Baltimore.

Norris’ injury is exacerbated by the fact the Dodgers can ill afford any more setbacks in their starting rotation.

Three-time Cy Young winner Kershaw is suffering from a herniated disk, and the team is unsure if or when he will return for the 2016 campaign. With Wood also out, Shaikin said the Dodgers are expecting Brett Anderson to make two additional rehab starts before joining the team.

It raises the question whether they will attack Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline with even more aggression following Norris’ injury. Shaikin said Sunday’s setback means “additional urgency” for the search.

Los Angeles is two games back of the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. However, the Giants are 3-7 in their last 10 games, which has allowed Los Angeles to make up some ground despite the injury concerns. The Dodgers were 4-2 in their previous six contests before Sunday’s game.

Unless the Dodgers acquire anyone before the deadline, they will likely rely on pitchers such as Stripling, Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir until the injury woes subside.

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By the time you finish reading this sentence, Jay Bruce may have already become the newest member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But if he’s still on the Cincinnati Reds by the time you’ve gotten to this sentence, we can only go so far as imagining how well Bruce would fit in Dodger blue.

Bruce’s name has been linked to the Dodgers, who began Friday with just a two-game deficit in the NL West, on the rumor mill here and there throughout the last couple of weeks. But the real whopper came Friday evening. As reported by ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, there’s a plot afoot that could land the veteran right fielder in Los Angeles ahead of the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline:

We don’t know much more, save for one detail that’s equal parts plausible and significant.

Twitter was abuzz with speculation about Yasiel Puig possibly being involved in the deal, but Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported the Dodgers and Reds couldn’t work out a deal involving Puig and Bruce. 

With Puig out of the picture, a report from Jon Morosi of MLB Network suggests the Dodgers will need to pony up prospects to get Bruce. Because Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has been protective of his farm system, it shouldn’t be taken as a certainty that a deal will get done.

But if a deal is made, Bruce will be a fit for the Dodgers lineup in more ways than one.

With an .895 OPS through 95 games, Bruce would be a major upgrade for a right field spot that hasn’t given the Dodgers much offensive production. No thanks to Puig and his disappointing .693 OPS, the Dodgers entered Friday getting just a .713 OPS out of right field. That ranked in the bottom five of MLB.

But Bruce’s real appeal? Pictured here, that would be his expertise in the matter of clobberage:

With six dingers in his last five games, Bruce is already up to 25 home runs in 2016. That puts him just one short of his 2015 total and within reach of his career high of 34.

A power bat of that magnitude is just what the doctor ordered for this Dodgers lineup. It entered Friday ranked ninth in the National League in home runs and 12th in slugging percentage.

The Dodgers have hitters with good power, to be sure, but some of them come with question marks. For example, here’s Buster Olney of ESPN.com with a not-so-encouraging Adrian Gonzalez observation:

Super-rookie Corey Seager is also struggling with power all of a sudden, as there’s a goose egg in his home run column for July. Albeit with an injury absence in the middle, Joc Pederson has homered only six times since May 18.

Of course, it’s fair to view both Bruce’s power and overall production with a skeptical eye. He’s 29, which is a little old to be coming into career-best power. And after he managed just a .695 OPS across 2014 and 2015, what he’s doing this year may also seem too good to be true.

But poor health played a significant role in Bruce’s struggles in ’14 and ’15. He had to have surgery on his left knee in 2014, and his recovery from that seemed to last into the next season.

One way to tell he’s legitimately back this season, though, is by looking at how hard he’s hitting the ball. It shows in his surface-level stats, but even better is how he entered Friday with a career-best 37.8 hard-hit percentage.

“I just feel stronger,” Bruce told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com in May. “I hit a lot of balls on the ground the last two years, and I usually don’t do that too, too much. I think in 2014, it had something to do with my knee. And I think in 2015, the bad habits I had carried over. So it’s just fixing that. I haven’t felt terrible, haven’t felt great. I’m just trying to keep my blinders on and go to work.”

As August Fagerstrom of FanGraphs highlighted in the spring, another thing to look for in 2016 would be whether the lefty-swinging Bruce was capable of hitting with power to the opposite field. Sure enough, his oppo power has gone way up:

• 2014: .313 SLUG%
• 2015: .374 SLUG%
• 2016: .686 SLUG%

To boot, Bruce hasn’t needed the cozy confines of Great American Ball Park to boost his power. He has hit for more power (.608 SLUG%) on the road than he has at home (.538 SLUG%).

Add it all up, and you get power that would play at Dodger Stadium and make the Dodgers lineup more dangerous. That’s not a happy thought for the San Francisco Giants. Their lead in the NL West has shrunk in part because the Dodgers offense has gotten better every month even without a steady power presence.

If there’s a silver lining for the Giants and others who would be tasked with silencing a Dodgers lineup with Bruce in it, it’s that adding him wouldn’t provide the kind of balance L.A. needs.

Justin Turner and Howie Kendrick aside, the Dodgers offense skews left-handed. That’s helped lead to the league’s worst OPS against left-handed pitching. The struggle would continue with Bruce, who turns into a lesser hitter against same-side pitching.

Still, the Dodgers’ platoon split hasn’t barred them from getting this far. That has a lot to do with how their offense is coming together at the right time. Adding Bruce to the mix could allow it to take off.

All they have to do now is get a deal done.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig suffered a hamstring injury on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. 

Continue for updates. 

Puig Out vs. Cardinals   

Friday, July 22

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Puig won’t play Friday against St. Louis but will be available off the bench in an emergency. 

Latest on Puig’s Recovery Timeline

Friday, July 22

Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA reported that Puig is likely to start on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Injury-Plagued Puig Struggles for Consistency 

Puig has battled minor bumps and bruises all season, including a left shoulder issue, a minor knee contusion and nagging hamstring discomfort that has again reared its ugly head.

Puig has posted a disappointing .257 average and .698 OPS a year after struggling with a .255 average, 11 home runs and 38 RBI during an injury-riddled 2015 campaign. 

Should Puig miss more time a season after appearing in just 79 games, the Dodgers have plenty of capable bodies to turn to as replacements. He’s been unable to recapture his All-Star form from 2014 for the last two years, so it might be better for the Dodgers to get a new hitter in the lineup. 

For the time being, Scott Van Slyke should garner the most consideration to fill Puig’s vacant right field post as manager Dave Roberts contemplates ways to tinker with his lineup in the days ahead.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 2016 season is riding on Clayton Kershaw‘s back.

Literally.

The 28-year-old ace left-hander landed on the 15-day disabled list June 30 with “mild disc herniation,” per MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. On Saturday, he suffered “a setback” during a bullpen session, per MLB.com’s Alex Putterman. 

Then, on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts dropped a bombshell.

“I think that with the way it flared up, it’s more of an indication that surgery is more of a possibility obviously with the way his back responded, but we’re still hopeful that he will be back,” Roberts said, per ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla. “When you’re talking about the back, that is always an option, but we’re certainly hopeful that Clayton will be back, absolutely.”

There are enough caveats and qualifiers in there for Dodgers fans to cling to hope. But the club’s skipper just uttered the word “surgery” in connection with the best pitcher on the planet. 

That sound you hear is a lot of hearts rising into throats in Southern California. And until further notice, it should be the sound of the Dodgers slamming the brakes on their non-waiver trade-deadline plans. 

First, let’s quickly recap what Kershaw was doing before his lower back betrayed him: The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP owned an MLB-leading 1.79 ERA with 145 strikeouts and just nine walks in 121 innings.

He hasn’t thrown a baseball that mattered since June 26, and his 5.5 WAR entering play Wednesday still paced the Senior Circuit.

The Dodgers have their flaws—on offense, at the back of the rotation—but as long as they had Kershaw, they had hope.

In fact, before Roberts uttered the dreaded S-word (no, not that one), ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported Los Angeles was preparing to go all-in on the trade market:

The Dodgers have the second-best farm system in the game, per Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter, and they could dip into it to add a front-line starter, bullpen reinforcements, an impact bat or all of the above.

Crasnick floated Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Chris Archer, a power arm whom Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman knows from his time in Tampa Bay.

On a squad that features a healthy Kershaw, a move like that would make sense. As would acquiring a slugger like Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jay Bruce to augment a lineup that is ninth in the NL in runs scored and tied for 10th in OPS.

Even after losing Wednesday to the Washington Nationals, 8-1, the Dodgers are in line for an NL wild-card slot at 53-43 and just 4.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

The Giants, who are battling injuries of their own, have lost five straight coming out of the All-Star break. There is a path for Los Angeles to reach the postseason.

But that’s in a world where Kershaw takes the ball every five days. At the moment, the Dodgers don’t know if they live in that world or when they’ll live in it again.

The Kershaw-less state the Dodgers rotation resides in is a bleak one.

Japanese import Kenta Maeda has been a stout No. 2, at least temporarily casting aside the injury concerns that followed him across the Pacific and allowed the Dodgers to ink him to an incentive-laden contract. And Brandon McCarthy has shown flashes since returning from Tommy John surgery July 3.

After that, it’s a grab bag of uncertainty and mediocrity.

Lefty Scott Kazmir logged seven strong innings in his most recent start Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, but his ERA has hovered above 4.00 all season. Rookie Julio Urias is bursting with raw talent, but the 19-year-old southpaw has yet to find a consistent groove at the big league level.

Bud Norris, whom Los Angeles acquired from the Atlanta Braves the same day Kershaw landed on the DL, is a fifth starter at best. Hyun-Jin Ryu is on the shelf with elbow discomfort, and Alex Wood is out after undergoing elbow surgery.

Until they know if Kershaw is in or out for 2016, the Dodgers should hold their trade assets close. That “big-game hunting” Crasnick alluded to must transition to a wait-in-the-bushes approach. 

The ideal scenario would be Kershaw returning healthy before the Aug. 1 deadline, giving the Dodgers time to rekindle trade talks. 

But if his status remains uncertain, or if he goes under the knife, there’s simply no point in the Dodgers mortgaging their young, cost-controlled talent.

Would replacing Kershaw with Archer (assuming the Rays are willing to move him) help L.A.’s chances of sneaking into the playoffs? Sure. 

Once there, could it make a little noise with the help of existing stars like shortstop and NL Rookie of the Year front-runner Corey Seager? Perhaps.

But without Kershaw, there is no way this team makes a serious World Series run. Period.

Yes, Archer would be more than a rental, as he’s controlled through 2019. And there are other enticing non-rentals on the block. But why not wait and acquire one or more of them over the winter, when you’re not dealing from a position of desperation?

The Dodgers have had their share of early October exits in recent years. The goal for baseball’s biggest spenders is to break the franchise’s 27-year championship drought. Anything short of that will be a lukewarm letdown.

Friedman has exercised restraint since taking the reins in Los Angeles, adding big pieces but placing emphasis on bolstering the minor league ranks and avoiding shifting into panic mode.

If anything could change that, it’s losing Kershaw. But diving headlong into the trade waters would be a mistake. They’d be better off riding out 2016 and heading into 2017 with a hopefully healthy ace and all that minor league firepower waiting in the wings.

To restate it in stark terms: The Dodgers’ season is riding on Kershaw’s back. If he can’t carry the load, no one else can.

All statistics current as of July 20 and courtesy of MLB.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was scratched from his start on Wednesday due to elbow discomfort, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. 

Continue for updates.

Ryu Expected to Be Out Indefinitely 

Tuesday, July 19

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported “Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged an exam took place, saying there were ‘no notable changes’ from past MRIs and that rest is the prescribed course of action for now.”

Ryu, 29, has started just one game since 2014. He missed all of 2015 with shoulder issues that eventually required surgery on his left labrum, and he missed the first three months of the 2016 season with more shoulder woes. He made his only start of the year on July 7, pitching 4.2 innings and giving up six runs on eight hits and two walks.

It’s been a disappointing two years for Ryu, who flashed a lot of potential with the Dodgers in his first two seasons. He is 28-16 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in his career. 

It’s another blow for a Dodgers rotation that has been beset by multiple injuries this season. Superstar Clayton Kershaw and starter Alex Wood are on the disabled list, while Brett Anderson hasn’t made an appearance yet this season.

The Dodgers also placed Casey Fien on the DL while reinstating Joc Pederson and recalling Luis Avilan—who will slide into the team’s bullpen—from Triple-A in corresponding roster moves.

Kenta Maeda, Scott Kazmir, Bud Norris and Brandon McCarthy will remain the core of the team’s rotation, with Kershaw sliding back into the mix once he’s healthy.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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With Yasiel Puig mired in another disappointing season, it’s reported the Los Angeles Dodgers may look to move the young outfielder ahead of the August 1 MLB trade deadline.

Continue for updates.

Dodgers Weighing Puig’s Future in Los Angeles

Monday, July 11

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal noted Saturday that the Dodgers could be open to moving the 25-year-old before Aug. 1.

Puig has failed to capture the magic of his 2013 rookie season, during which he finished with a slash line of .319/.391/.534 while mashing 19 home runs and 42 RBI in 104 games. After making the All-Star Game and leading all Dodgers offensive players in WAR (5.3) in 2014, per FanGraphs, Puig started to tail off in 2015.

He appeared in only 79 games last year, batting .255 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI. Through the first half of 2016, Puig’s regression has continued. In 266 plate appearances, he has seven homers, 28 RBI and a .258/.316/.389 slash line.

Puig is still capable of creating moments of magic, such as his impressive throw from right field to nail Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story at third base in April:

However, those highlight-reel plays have become fewer and farther between over the course of his four-year career.

On June 28, the Los Angeles Times‘ Andy McCullough reported MLB executives with whom he has spoken don’t envision Puig ever topping his first year or possibly even his sophomore campaign, which limits his potential trade value.

Puig won’t become a free agent until 2020, so the Dodgers aren’t working against a tight deadline. They can choose to wait until next year to see whether his numbers improve, thus increasing his worth on the trade market.

However, Los Angeles will have a logjam in the outfield when Andre Ethier (leg) and Joc Pederson (shoulder) return from the disabled list. Trading Puig might also bring back a starting pitcher, which the team desperately needs.

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Fact: Corey Seager is the only rookie in this year’s Home Run Derby. He has the chance to become the first rookie to ever win the competition outright.*

*Wally Joyner was a co-winner in 1986.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

Source: B/R Insights 

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Right now, the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ focus is aimed intently at Clayton Kershaw‘s lower back.

Until the three-time Cy Young Award-winner and 2014 National League MVP returns from the disabled list, little else matters for the Dodgers.

The left-handed ace said he felt better after receiving an epidural on June 30, per MLB.com’s Jack Baer, but there’s no timetable for his return.

“I’m going to be very impatient and try to pitch tomorrow,” Kershaw said prior to Saturday’s game, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. “The DL [stinks]. There’s no getting around it; it’s awful. You come to the field every day and feel like you let the team down by not pitching. It’s just the way it is, and you have to get through it.”

Let’s get real, though. Even if Kershaw comes back immediately after the All-Star break when he’s eligible and resumes his dominant ways, Los Angeles’ frequently anemic offense could still doom the team to an also-ran finish.

Before we delve into that, let’s remember what Kershaw was doing before his balky back put him on the shelf. There’s a grab bag of ludicrous stats to choose from, but Joon Lee of the Washington Post summed it up neatly after Kershaw‘s most recent start:

As it stands, Kershaw’s WHIP ranks as the best all-time for a single season among all pitchers with more than 120 innings pitched. Earlier this season, the Dodgers lefty passed Cliff Lee for the best K/BB ratio at the 100-strikeout mark. Lee had walked seven batters when he reached 100 strikeouts; Kershaw had walked only five. At the moment, Kershaw is on pace to strike out 305 batters and walk 19.

Kershaw has been so great for so long, it’s easy to take him for granted. But even if you step back and fully appreciate his transcendence, it’s impossible to ignore what a drag the Dodgers’ bats have been.

It may seem an odd moment to lodge this particular complaint, considering the Dodgers just hit their way to a 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Overall, however, Los Angeles ranks 17th in runs scored, 25th in OPS and 28th in team batting average in MLB.

Shortstop Corey Seager is the National League Rookie of the Year front-runner with a .305/.363/.540 slash line and 17 home runs.

Fellow rookie Trayce Thompson has chipped in 13 home runs and 32 RBI, and sophomore Joc Pederson has 13 home runs and 33 RBI of his own.

But first baseman and key lineup cog Adrian Gonzalez owns a pedestrian .384 slugging percentage, the second-lowest mark of his career. Catchers Yasmani Grandal and A.J. Ellis are hitting .188 and .196, respectively.

And despite raising his average 25 points since the start of June, Cuban slugger Yasiel Puig remains a mercurial enigma whose up-and-down performance could soon make him an ex-Dodger, as Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer outlined. 

When things click, this Dodgers offense can look competent bordering on dangerous, with veterans such as Justin Turner, Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley chipping in.

But it hasn’t been enough, particularly with the archrival San Francisco Giants rolling to a 53-32 record and a five-game lead over L.A. at the close of Independence Day.

The Dodgers haven’t consistently raked anywhere, but their offensive woes have been more pronounced at Chavez Ravine, where they sport a .233 average, as opposed to .244 on the road.

“Obviously, the numbers don’t lie, and where we are on the calendar, it’s enough of a sample size,” manager Dave Roberts said in June of his team’s home futility, per ESPN’s Doug Padilla. 

On June 30, Los Angeles acquired right-hander Bud Norris from the Atlanta Braves, a move ostensibly aimed at plugging the leak caused by Kershaw‘s injury. You could argue that’s like replacing a bazooka with a Super Soaker, but Norris did win his first start in Dodger blue. 

Now, however, the Dodgers and Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations, need to add a hitter or two. 

They’ve been linked to Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. And they could likely land other sluggers—including the Milwaukee Brewers‘ Ryan Braun—without sacrificing any blue-chip prospects, provided they’re willing to eat some salary.

Or Los Angeles could dip into its deep farm system and go for a top trade target like Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who boasts a .296/.355/.484 slash line and an attractive $5.25 million team option for 2017.

Regardless of the route they take, the Dodgers need to do something. They’ve got baseball’s gaudiest payroll. And they employ the game’s best pitcher.

The Kershaw window won’t stay open forever, as this recent injury has made clear. And while the Dodgers have won three straight division titles, they haven’t advanced past the National League Championship Series in that span and haven’t won a title since 1988.

Recent results like Monday’s seven-run showing shouldn’t cloud Friedman’s judgement or lull him into complacency. This team needs offensive reinforcements—period—or it runs the very real risk of coming up short yet again.

The Dodgers’ first objective is to get Kershaw back on the bump. Once he’s there, however, he’ll need some backup in the batter’s box.

All statistics current as of July 4 and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. 

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The hottest team in baseball is spending less than $14 million on a starting rotation that might turn Cleveland into the city of champions. The richest team in baseball has more than $36 million tied up in starting pitchers who aren’t healthy enough to pitch.

Uh, make that more than $70 million, because the Los Angeles Dodgers added Clayton Kershaw to their hefty disabled list Thursday.

Remember when the Dodgers’ problem was they didn’t have a good enough rotation behind Kershaw? Well, now they don’t have a good enough rotation at all, at least until Kershaw returns from the back injury that has sent him to the 15-day DL.

The Dodgers can’t, or won’t, say when that will be. As a result, we can’t, or won’t, say whether the Dodgers have any chance to keep this season from falling apart.

Los Angeles did get a good start from Kenta Maeda on Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee, and it got an 8-1 win over the Brewers that gave it a 44-37 record. If the season ended now, the Dodgers would be in the playoffs as a wild-card team.

Good thing for them the season doesn’t end now, because if the National League Wild Card Game were Friday night, they wouldn’t have Kershaw to pitch in it.

They’d have Bud Norris, the 31-year-old right-hander they announced they acquired Thursday from the Atlanta Braves, where he was in and out and back in the rotation. Norris has a 2.15 ERA in five starts this month, with wins over both the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, but it’s hard to forget his 8.74 ERA in five starts in April.

He’s no Kershaw, but who is? Not Maeda, although Orel Hershiser said on Dodgers television that the Japanese rookie has been “impersonating an ace” lately. Not anyone in the rest of the pieced-together Dodgers rotation, which for now includes Scott Kazmir, Julio Urias and Brock Stewart after Maeda and Norris.

The “for now” is key, because both Brandon McCarthy (coming back from Tommy John surgery) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (coming back from shoulder surgery) are pitching on minor league rehabilitation assignments. Neither of them is Kershaw, either, but at least they’ve pitched in the big leagues before.

Counting Norris, the Dodgers have had 10 starting pitchers this season—only the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s have used more—and four of them made their major league debut in 2016.

That’s part of the reason that while the Dodgers are 14-2 when Kershaw starts, they’re 30-35 when he doesn’t.

The without-Kershaw record was a problem before Thursday, when we were all thinking Kershaw was going to keep starting every fifth day. Besides being the best pitcher in baseball, the Dodger ace has been remarkably durable, averaging 32 starts and 215 innings in the seven seasons before this one.

He leads the major leagues this year with 121 innings, including six on Sunday in Pittsburgh. He apparently complained of discomfort Monday, flew home Wednesday and was diagnosed with what the Dodgers called a “mild disc herniation” in his lower back, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. The team said Kershaw received an epidural injection for pain relief.

What it didn’t say was when he’ll pitch again. Perhaps it honestly doesn’t know. Perhaps it’d rather not even think about it.

“How his body responds to the epidural, that’s the most telling,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including McCullough. “I don’t know how it’s going to be. I don’t know. I’m hopeful. But I can’t say either way [whether this will be 15 days or longer].”

The Dodgers, for all their money, wouldn’t spend enough of it to keep Zack Greinke from leaving for the Arizona Diamondbacks last winter. For all their prospects, they wouldn’t part with enough of them to add Cole Hamels (or any of the top rental pitchers) last July.

They have what they have, and if they make it through whatever time Kershaw misses without sinking in the standings, it would be a major accomplishment—and something of a surprise.

As catcher A.J. Ellis told McCullough after the Kershaw news came out, “That’s probably why he hurt his back, he’s been carrying us so long.”

Kershaw was always the Dodgers’ guarantee against a long losing streak. Streaks are usually built on starting pitching, although few teams have ever done that as successfully as the Indians have over the last two weeks.

According to a stat cited on the Indians’ TV broadcast Thursday night, they were the first team since the 1916 New York Giants to win 12 straight games while never allowing more than three earned runs. They did it again for number 13 Thursday, with Carlos Carrasco striking out 14 in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Indians have a five-man rotation that right now qualifies as baseball’s best, but they don’t have a Kershaw.

For at least the next two weeks, the Dodgers don’t have one, either.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

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