Dodgers will shut down Clayton Kershaw until he's pain-free

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw hasn’t pitched since June 26 because of a lower-back injury, and his return date got even more unclear Tuesday.

Kershaw threw a simulated game Saturday at Dodger Stadium, but manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday that Kershaw didn’t recover well from that outing.

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Kershaw, who began the season on a tear with an 11-2 record and 1.79 ERA, is eligible to come off the disabled list, but it sounds like that won’t be happening any time soon.

Kershaw is a three-time NL Cy Young winner and an All-Star in each of the past six seasons, but despite his absence Los Angeles is 10-6 since his last start and would enter the playoffs as the top NL wild card if the season ended now.