Clayton Kershaw's injury means Dodgers must get creative

The four words Los Angeles Dodgers fans never wanted to hear have become a reality: Clayton Kershaw is injured. The 28-year-old will go on the disabled list with a back injury. It’s currently unclear when he’ll be able to return.

As Mike Oz outlined Tuesday, this is pretty bad for the Dodgers. Losing the best pitcher in baseball, even for 15 days, would be devastating to any team. But for the Dodgers, who have dealt with a number of pitching injuries already this season, the injury hits much harder.

Those injuries are going to force the Dodgers to get creative in order to get by without Kershaw. They’ve already settled on one option, trading for Atlanta Braves starter Bud Norris. While the injury is worrisome, the team is currently in a Wild Card spot in the National League. Losing Kershaw for a few weeks is terrible, but there’s no reason the team should fold because he’s hurt.

Kershaw might be irreplaceable, but the Dodgers will still look to add talent. Here are a few ways they can make that happen.

Look for pitching outside the organization
Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers did just that. Norris has rebounded after a disastrous 2015, though his 4.22 ERA is nothing to get too excited about. He’s a fresh body, and he’s available to start Friday, and that’s all the Dodgers need right now.

But let’s assume for a minute that they continue to look at other options. McCullough jokingly (we think) suggested Andy Pettitte could still produce, and Dan Haren jokingly (we think, though it’s more believable) mentioned maybe he should start throwing again. Prior to the Norris acquisition, Rosenthal suggested the team was talking to the Tampa Bay Rays about Erasmo Ramirez. If Dodgers’ fans really want to dream big, maybe Sonny Gray or another stud pitcher becomes available, but that’s merely speculation and there’s no indication the Dodgers would give up significant prospects in that type of deal. Then again, maybe Norris is all the Dodgers need, because help is on the way.

Weather the storm and wait until Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu can come back
Two of the Dodgers’ better pitchers are close to making their return. So, while the Dodgers rotation currently looks like a mess, things will be a lot better in just a few weeks. Both McCarthy and Ryu have been making rehab starts, any could be back soon. McCarthy just went five innings in his latest start, and Ryu has already made six rehab appearances. It doesn’t seem like they are far off.

While it’s risky to depend on guys coming off injuries, Ryu and McCarthy have shown much better upside in their careers than the average No. 5 starter. If Norris is needed for just 1-2 starts until McCarthy or Ryu are ready, that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Call someone up from the minors
This one seems unlikely. The Dodgers have already dipped into their system to call up guys this season. Mike Bolsinger got pushed into a starting role due to injuries, as did Ross Stripling, Julio Urias and Brock Turner. Turner was throwing to Single-A hitters in April, so that gives an idea of how deep the team has already gone into the system just to bring up fresh bodies.

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Jose De Leon is one of the club’s big-name prospects, but he’s been limited by injuries thus far this year, tossing just 18 1/3 innings. Given the injuries and the time he’s already missed, it doesn’t seem likely that the Dodgers would rush him to the majors. He’s 23, with a high upside, there’s no need to mess with his development right now.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik