For the first time since Aug. 30, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw will take the mound in a game Wednesday when he makes a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

He will take on Tacoma, the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate, in Oklahoma City at 12:05 p.m. ET.

Kershaw, 37, is recovering from toe and left knee surgeries in November, the results of injuries that caused him to miss the Dodgers’ run to a World Series title. On Aug. 30 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and 2014 National League MVP left in the second inning with pain in his left big toe.

Entering his 18th season — all with the Dodgers — Kershaw is 32 whiffs shy of becoming the 20th member of the 3,000-strikeout club. He is on the 60-day injured list and is eligible to be activated on May 17.

Kershaw was limited to seven starts in 2024 coming off left shoulder surgery in the offseason.

He made his season debut on July 25 and pitched 30 innings before reporting damage to his toe, which turned out to be a ruptured plantar plate and arthritis in his left foot.

A 10-time All-Star, Kershaw has a career record of 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA in 432 games (429 starts). His 15 career shutouts are the most among active pitchers.

He is set to earn $7.5 million during the upcoming season with multiple roster and games-started bonuses that are worth an additional $8.5 million.

According to FanSided, Kershaw can receive $1 million bonuses for 13, 14, 15 and 16 starts, as well as 60 days and 90 days on the active roster. There is a $2.5 million bonus available for his first 30 days on the active roster.

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds activated outfielder Austin Hays, second baseman Matt McLain and reliever Alexis Diaz from the injured list on Tuesday.

Hays (calf) and McLain (hamstring) were on the 10-day IL and Diaz (hamstring) was on the 15-day IL.

Hays, 29, has yet to make his Reds debut. The former All-Star split last season with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies and signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Reds in January.

McLain, 25, has appeared in eight games this season for Cincinnati, batting .214 with three homers and five RBIs.

Diaz, 28, has yet to play for the Reds this season after serving as their closer the past two years. The right-hander made the All-Star team and finished with 37 saves in 2023.

The Reds optioned outfielder Jacob Hurtubise and infielder Noelvi Marte to Triple-A Louisville in corresponding transactions.

–Field Level Media

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is expected to be ready for the playoffs, head coach Craig Berube said on Tuesday.

Ekman-Larsson, 33, hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury while falling awkwardly on a breakaway in a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Wednesday.

The Maple Leafs (50-26-4, 104 points) visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night and host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday to conclude the regular season.

Toronto is four points up on the second-place Lightning in the race for the Atlantic Division title. The postseason begins on Saturday.

“Right now, I mean, I expect (Ekman-Larsson) to play, but you never know,” Berube said on Tuesday. “He’s tough. He’ll play through things. And if he’s not in the lineup, somebody else is going to have to step up. That’s just the bottom line. That’s part of the playoffs.”

Edman-Larsson, 33, has four goals, 25 assists, a plus-14 rating, 52 penalty minutes, 83 blocks, 108 hits and a 21:04 average ice time in 77 games in his first season with Toronto.

He has 500 career points (148 goals, 362 assists) in 1,059 games with the then-Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes (2010-21), Vancouver Canucks (2021-23), Florida Panthers (2023-24) and Maple Leafs.

Defenseman Jake McCabe will miss his sixth consecutive game on Tuesday because of an upper-body injury. He might not return before the first-round playoff series is underway.

“There’s always a concern, right?” Berube said. “It’s just a little ways away yet for me to make those kinds of decisions and things like that. I’ve got to see them up close a little bit more here and talk to these guys and see where they’re at.”

McCabe, 31, has two goals, 21 assists, a plus-23 rating, 40 penalty minutes, 135 blocks and 118 hits while averaging a team-high 21:31 of ice time in 66 games this season.

He has 175 career points (35 goals, 140 assists) in 643 games with the Sabres (2013-21), Chicago Blackhawks (2021-23) and Maple Leafs (February 2023-present).

–Field Level Media