While Juan Uribe was the story for the Dodgers last night, they got a major scare in the second inning when Matt Kemp felt a sharp pain in his surgically-repaired left shoulder during an at-bat. He stayed in the game initially, drawing a walk and playing the next half-inning in the field, but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the third inning.
Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that Kemp received a cortisone injection in his acromioclavicular joint, where the collarbone meets the shoulder. Doctors determined that the pain he was feeling was in the joint and not the labrum, which is where he had surgery last October. While that’s good news, he appears likely to miss a couple of games at the very least.
“I felt something weird in my shoulder and it kind of scared me a little bit,” said Kemp. “But others say it’s pretty normal for labrum surgery, I heard from other players. The cortisone shot calmed it down. It was very scary. I never felt anything like that. Worse than running into the wall.”
It’s unfortunate timing for Kemp, who finally showed signs of a rebound in recent days by hitting home runs in back-to-back games. The Dodgers got Carl Crawford back from the disabled list yesterday, so they have the outfield depth to make due for now. But a healthy and productive Kemp will be essential as they attempt to make a run of things in the National League West.
