LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw, who has spent the last five weeks rehabilitating a bad toe, will not pitch this postseason, no matter how far the Los Angeles Dodgers advance. But the Dodgers received immediate good news just over two hours before Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday when Freddie Freeman was inserted into the starting lineup.

Freeman's status was in serious doubt as the Dodgers began pregame work on Saturday, but he came onto the field around 2:45 p.m. PT to do some baserunning and defensive work and felt well enough coming out of it emerged. He then went in to fire one of the Dodgers' high-speed pitching machines, after which the team placed him at first base and in his usual third spot in the lineup.

Freeman sprained his right ankle while dodging a hit near first base on Sept. 26 and has spent the last eight days rehabilitating the injury. In a meeting with the media on Thursday, he expressed confidence that he would start Game 1, saying his right ankle was “good enough.” But his status changed the following day, when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said early Saturday afternoon that he was “not as hopeful as he was yesterday.”

Before Freeman agreed, the Dodgers worked out Max Muncy at first base and Enrique Hernandez at third base – their preferred lineup should Freeman be unavailable at any point in this series.

Freeman's status is constantly in question throughout the NLDS, but Kershaw's is definitive.

“We’re closing the door,” Roberts said. “Clayton did everything he could to move things forward and give himself a chance to compete in the postseason. But where he’s at, physically, the foot, the toe, it’s just not cooperating.”

Kershaw had shoulder surgery last offseason and didn't make his season debut until July 25. Then on August 30, he dropped out in the second inning with a bone spur in his left big toe. Kershaw continued to keep his pitching arm active and had his spikes readjusted to compensate for the pain in his tender toe. But his throwing progress was put on hold last week because he was compensating for pain in other parts of his body while he was making his throw.

“It became pretty mentally taxing to keep trying to pitch,” Kershaw said. “It just kept hurting, so I did another MRI. I've made it worse, so there's no point in continuing at this point. It's unfortunate. Obviously super frustrated. That's it really. It's not getting better, so I can't pitch.”

The Dodgers entered Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler and Landon Knack in the starting lineup for their NLDS showdown against the rival San Diego Padres, with Yamamoto and Flaherty starting in Games 1 and 2, respectively. The only somewhat surprising roster decision was to choose rookie right-hander Edgardo Henriquez, who has only made three appearances but throws his fastball in the triple digits, over veteran Joe Kelly.

Roberts revealed that Kelly suffered a shoulder injury during a changeup on the final throw of a simulated game earlier this week. Kelly's shoulder injury is similar to that of Brusdar Graterol, an ailment that freed up a spot for another young right-hander in Michael Grove. The Dodgers' only chance of having Kelly available is if they advance to the World Series. Roberts said he also won't be available for the NL Championship Series.

When the Dodgers' season ends, Kershaw, who may need surgery on his left big toe, will again consider whether he will retire or pitch the following season. His contract includes a $5 million player option that comes with up to $20 million in additional performance incentives.

“My shoulder feels great, my back feels great, all that stuff,” said Kershaw, 36. “I don’t know. Of course I don't want to get hurt all the time. It's not fun to do that. But I also love pitching. I just have to weigh it all up and talk about it, figure it out.”