The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series and while the team has plenty of talent up and down the lineup, one player that will be noticeably absent from the postseason is outfielder Matt Kemp, who is shut down for the playoffs after having surgery.
According to ESPN Los Angeles, Kemp underwent shoulder surgery this past week to clean up his joint on the left side and this comes after he was ruled out of the playoffs with an ankle injury that has been bothering him all season. The Dodgers said that Kemp will be ready for the season next year, but he will be officially out for the postseason even if the Dodgers make a World Series run against either the Boston Red Sox or the Detroit Tigers.
The injury to Kemp was tough for the Dodgers to deal with, but it isn't anything new, as they had to play while he missed 52 games over the season and made multiple DL stints. The team has found support in stars like Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez as well as Yasiel Puig and while he will be missed in the lineup, the team thinks it can win without him.
Kemp originally injured his shoulder last season against the Rockies when he smashed into the outfield wall and that led to surgery last offseason and now he will get the joint cleaned out this time around. Kemp has been with the team while they are playing and he likely will participate in any celebration, but he will not participate in the playoffs for the dodgers after they defeated the Braves to advance to the National League Championship Series.
The team is expected to pitch Zack Greinke against Joe Kelly in the first game of the series and that will be followed by Clayton Kershaw in Game 2. The Dodgers pitched Kershaw on three days rest for the Game 4 matchup against the Braves and it turned out to be the right call and now they will have the chance to get to the World Series, but they will have to do it without Kemp.
