The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to right the ship after struggling in late, including a recent series sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The starting rotation is set to receive a significant boost in the near future, as veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw is nearing a return from the IL.

Via Kirsten Watson, Kershaw revealed that he's progressed well from his most recent rehab start and is expecting to throw another bullpen session later on this week. If all goes well for Kershaw and the 34-year-old doesn't experience any setbacks, he could be in line to return to the mound on Sunday in a start against the NL West rival Giants.

That's huge news for the Dodgers as they look to protect their lead over the Padres in the NL West. At 35-19, the Dodgers hold a 2.5-game lead over San Diego and are 5.5 games ahead of the third-placed Giants.

The Dodgers have lost five of their last seven games, so getting Kershaw back into the rotation would help them right the ship. Kershaw returned to the Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million deal this offseason. He's started five games this season, logging a 1.80 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and recorded 32 strikeouts in 30.0 innings of work.

He was placed on the 15-day IL on May 13 due to right SI joint inflammation. He pitched at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in a rehab start on Monday, throwing a total of 59 pitches in the outing, and now looks set to make the next step in his return to big-league action after almost a month away from the team.

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