Clayton Kershaw participated in a pregame catch Friday, a brief workout that could force the Dodgers to rethink the timetable for their injured ace.
The Dodgers said it would be four to six weeks before Kershaw returned to the mound after a back injury forced him out of his most recent start after two innings. That caution lasted four days.
"He came in yesterday and felt really good," manager Dave Roberts said. "So the medication, obviously, he responded to. For him to get the go-ahead to start playing catch again, I think that's ahead of where we all anticipated, so I'm going to be cautiously optimistic."