Kershaw takes a big step; Conforto the next Teo?

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There were two left-handers throwing side by side in the bullpen on a rainy Friday afternoon at Camelback Ranch -- one tuning up for his first year with the Dodgers, and the other preparing for his 18th.

New Dodger Blake Snell was getting his work in alongside Clayton Kershaw, who was throwing his first bullpen session at camp (manager Dave Roberts said the southpaw had also thrown when he was at home). It marked a big step forward for Kershaw as he opens this next chapter of his legendary career with the Dodgers.

"I think it was like 19 of 23 strikes," Roberts said. "Really good. … Just for our guys to put eyes on him, they were pretty pleased about where he's at right now."

Kershaw is right on track with where he thought he might be when he made his return to the Dodgers official in mid-February. After undergoing procedures on his left knee and left foot in November, Kershaw expects to begin the season on the 60-day injured list, but he's hopeful that he'll be nearing a return by the time those 60 days are up.

Although Kershaw will not be on the Dodgers' travel roster when they open the season against the Cubs in the Tokyo Series from March 18-19, he and his family are planning on going to Japan separately and meeting up with the team.

"You don't get many opportunities to go Japan with Shohei," Kershaw said when he re-signed with the Dodgers in February, "so I think it would be pretty cool."

Miller working his way back

Bobby Miller took another step toward returning to game action, throwing an inning of live batting practice on Friday afternoon. He faced Max Muncy and Andy Pages, giving up a homer in his first at-bat vs. Muncy but later generating some swing-and-miss.

Miller has not pitched in a game since Feb. 20, when he was struck on the head by a line drive in his spring debut. He was in concussion protocol afterward but was fortunate to avoid serious injury. Miller resumed throwing bullpen sessions about a week after he was hit, and pitching in a game might not be too far away now that he's faced live hitters.

Friday's live batting practice session wasn't entirely without incident. The last pitch Miller threw was lined back toward him in a way that was reminiscent of the drive that hit him in the Cactus League opener. Fortunately, Miller was able to duck out of the way of this one.

Even though Miller wasn't shut down from baseball activities for long, it will be "a longer road" to build him back up as a starter, Roberts said. The Dodgers would ideally like to build Miller up to around six innings and 90 pitches, which is a normal benchmark for starting pitchers by the end of spring.

Roberts' pick to click

Roberts doesn't put too much stock in spring results, and he especially feels that way about outfielder Michael Conforto, who signed a one-year, $17 million deal to join the Dodgers this past offseason.

Conforto has been working with the Dodgers' coaching staff on some tweaks to get his swing back to where it was in the more productive years of his career. He feels that he hasn't quite gotten his timing back, but he's getting closer with every spring at-bat.

Roberts drew a comparison between Conforto and Teoscar Hernández, who signed a prove-it deal with the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season, put together one of the best offensive years of his career and then got the multiyear deal he desired with L.A. in early January.

"Where he's at in his maturation as a ballplayer, I just think things are really lining up," Roberts said of Conforto. "Not saying he's Teo of '24, but that's kind of the light I see him in."

Sauer bound for Tokyo

When Roberts removed Matt Sauer in the ninth inning of Friday's 6-4 win over the Mariners, he had a special message for the right-handed reliever: He'll be on the Dodgers' travel roster for the Tokyo Series.

Sauer, who is with the Dodgers on a Minor League deal, is in camp as a non-roster invitee and can provide length out of the bullpen.

Like with the Seoul Series, the Dodgers can bring more players to Japan than just the players on their active roster. Last year, the team brought 31 players to South Korea, but had a 26-man roster for the regular-season games.