Clayton Kershaw is flying back to Los Angeles to get his ailing back checked by team doctors.
The 28-year-old Dodgers ace emerged with back soreness after his last start Sunday in Los Angeles' 4-3 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"He's not any better," manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday via MLB.com. "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."
The Dodgers manager remains optimistic that Kershaw will make his next scheduled start at home against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
"We are still hopeful for Friday," Roberts said. "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."
Kershaw is 11-2 with a 1.79 ERA for the Dodgers this season. The only time he has been on the disabled list in his nine-year career was with a strained shoulder in early 2014.
The Dodgers are taking on the Brewers for a four-game series in Milwaukee starting Tuesday.
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