Tim Hudson to miss start with bone spurs in ankle, Julio Teheran will fill in

Tim Hudson’s encore for his 13th career shutout will have to wait a little while.

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Hudson has been scratched from tomorrow’s start against the Blue Jays as he deals with bone spurs in his left ankle. Prospect right-hander Julio Teheran will be called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to start in his place.

Hudson was given a cortisone shot in the ankle and the Braves hope to have him available to start Wednesday against the Yankees. The veteran right-hander missed the start of the season following surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back, but has a solid 3.83 ERA and 31/15 K/BB ratio over eight starts.

Teheran, who was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the game by Baseball America during the offseason, has a 3.15 ERA and 43/21 K/BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings over 11 starts at the Triple-A level this year. The 21-year-old right-hander made his major league debut last season and had a 5.03 ERA in three starts and two relief appearances.

Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw is nearing his return to the mound, according to club manager Dave Roberts. Both Kershaw (left biceps tendinitis) and fellow lefty Rich Hill (left middle finger blister) are scheduled to toss simulated games on Saturday; depending on the outcome, Roberts says Kershaw could forgo a minor league assignment and slot back into the rotation by Thursday.

Kershaw, 30, was diagnosed with biceps tendinitis as the team closed out their Mexico Series at the start of the month. He has not made a start in several weeks, but was finally able to resume throwing on Sunday and managed to get through two successful bullpen sessions. Though Dodgers’ ace hasn’t been completely injury-free over his 11-year career in the majors, this is the first significant issue he’s had with his pitching arm so far. The team is expected to take every precaution with the lefty, and will likely limit him to just four innings during Saturday’s simulated game.

Prior to his injury, Kershaw was working on another dominant run with the club, sporting a 2.86 ERA, 2.0 BB/9 and 9.8 SO/9 through his first 44 innings of the season. While Kershaw, Hill and left-handed starter Hyun-Jin Ryu served their respective terms on the disabled list this month, the Dodgers utilized a combination of relievers Ross Stripling and Brock Stewart, both of whom impressed during their limited time in the rotation.