Three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw: Long injury absence 'frustrating'

It's been a long time since Clayton Kershaw has taken the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and nobody is more aware of that than Kershaw himself.

The veteran three-time Cy Young winner has been sidelined since early July with left elbow soreness, and some of the pushes he has made to return to play quicker have resulted in rehab setbacks. At this point, the 33-year-old southpaw will do whatever it takes to get back into the rotation full time.

"It's been frustrating, it's been a long time, it shouldn't have taken this long," Kershaw said Wednesday via ESPN. "It's frustrating on my part. But hopefully, I can be around for the fun part and help us in September and October."

It's no surprise Kershaw already has his sights set on the postseason. L.A. has spent most of the season in second place in the National League West and currently sits two-and-a-half games behind the league-leading San Francisco Giants. Returning to the starting rotation without any lingering soreness in his elbow is a top priority for Kershaw at this juncture.

"Just as long as my elbow doesn't hurt, we're in a good spot," he said.

Whether Kershaw would slide back into the rotation immediately or get work out of the bullpen is still debatable. David Price joined the four-man starting corps in Kershaw's absence after spending the bulk of the season pitching out of the bullpen, and his role will likely be impacted by how much work Kershaw can handle upon returning.

However he returns, Kershaw just wants to be part of another postseason run.

"We wanna win this year," he said. "And especially with the team that we have — there's not many times in your career that you can have this much talent on one team for a run. And who knows what it's gonna look like next year and the year after that? You wanna take advantage of that."