However, Kershaw did not throw his regular between-starts bullpen session on Tuesday, and should he go two days without throwing, it would be highly unlikely he could then start on his normal schedule. He would have one additional start before the All-Star break.
"He's not any better," Roberts said. "We decided to fly him back to Los Angeles. He's not pitching anyway in Milwaukee. We'll give him a day or so to get ready after the flight.
"We are still hopeful for Friday. We want to get him in the doctors' hands and get some answers. We'll know more once we get some testing. It's his back barking. It's not his hip. We want to be prudent. The training staff felt like this was the best thing for Clayton."
Roberts said he was "not even thinking" about who would start in Kershaw's place. That's understandable, as Roberts is having trouble finding enough pitchers to fill the starting rotation for each cycle. The Dodgers plan to call up righty Brock Stewart, their No. 26 prospect, from Triple-A Oklahoma City to start on Wednesday night against the Brewers. Stewart opened the season at Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, and Roberts has never seen him pitch.
Roberts said Kershaw's problem is in his lower back, not related to the hip injury that has troubled him in the past, and that Kershaw's back has bothered him for the past few weeks.
Losing Kershaw for any length of time would be devastating to a rotation that already has Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson on the disabled list, particularly after losing free agent Zack Greinke to the D-backs after last season.
Ken Gurnick has covered the Dodgers for MLB.com since 2001. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Kershaw flies back to LA for tests on sore back
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