Matt Kemp, ready to rock

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By Jon Weisman

The Bison’s back in town.

According to the Dodgers’ PR department, Matt Kemp “is expected to be reinstated from the disabled list prior to today’s game (though not in today’s starting lineup),” looking to make a fresh start after a series of injuries derailed most of his past two seasons.

“I’m as ready as I can be, and (I’m) excited to get out and compete again,” Kemp told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “I’ve done all the practicing I can do, I’ve done the rehab. I’ve busted my butt and now I hope all the work has paid off.”

Photos by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Coming off a near-MVP season in 2011, Kemp had a monstrous .446 on-base percentage and .726 slugging percentage and had played in 399 consecutive games, making a strong case as the best player in the game (watch the video above to refresh your memory of his prowess), when he went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

He has been beset by injuries to his hamstring, shoulder and ankle since then, lowering his production to a .330 OBP and .430 slugging in 145 games. That’s mostly due to the first three months of the 2013 season, the first three months he played after labrum surgery, when he had a .309 OBP and .355 slugging in 57 games. When he was able to get in the lineup in the second half of the season, he went 18 for 54 with four homers, a .400 OBP and .630 slugging.

Even in the post-injury portion of 2012, Kemp had a .332 OBP and .462 slugging with 11 homers in 72 games, production that most players would settle for.

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How well Kemp will perform at the outset of his return is impossible to know, though isn’t that really true of any player? In any case, the time to find out, as Gurnick reports, is now.

Manager Don Mattingly said the club has rejected the thought of further Minor League rehab action for Kemp, even if it means the team must bite the bullet and let him work through the rust.

“Physically, in his mind, Matt feels he’s ready,” Mattingly said. “He’s said he’s not afraid to do all the things he has to do. In a sense, we can only trust him. He’s been honest with us. He doesn’t want to get embarrassed. He wants to do well.”

Kemp understands the skepticism.

“I just want them to have faith in me and trust what I say,” he said. “I’m ready. I told them at the beginning of Spring Training, ‘If I’m not ready, I’m not going out there.’ I’m telling the truth if I say I can compete with those guys. I have no doubt at all. I’ve had good years. Everybody has their own opinion, but I know the type of player I am capable of being. Everybody has doubters, but I don’t let that affect me.

“Honestly, my legs are in great shape. I’ve done all the tests, but you can never simulate Major League game situations. I’ve gone first to third, I’ve been sliding, I definitely can do that. It’s all cool. My shoulder feels great, that’s the least of my concerns. The focus on that is over.”

If you argue that it’s too optimistic to expect a return to his 2011 form, it’s also too pessimistic to assume Kemp can’t surpass his 2013 performance. There’s no doubt about the effort Kemp has put into a long and excruciating rehab, or his desire to be as good as he ever was. It’s hard not to be eager to see what happens.