The news about Clayton Kershaw didn’t seem good on Thursday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he didn’t think the veteran left-hander, who was sidelined all month with an injury to his left big toe, would be “viable for a few weeks.”

But the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner isn’t ready to give up his hopes of a playoff spot if the Dodgers can have a strong run in October.

“I’m going to keep trying every day,” Kershaw, 36, said before Thursday night’s series finale against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. “Maybe one day it will feel better. I’m just waiting for that day to happen.”

When asked again Thursday what was ailing Kershaw, Roberts repeated his answer from Tuesday when he said, “It’s the toe…it’s the body.” Kershaw said the toe remains the main problem – “That’s the truth.” he said – but admitted that compensating for the pain in his push-off foot was putting the rest of his body at risk.

“There’s only a rough percentage that I can throw without other things starting to bother me because I throw differently,” Kershaw said. “Whenever my toe feels better, I am confident that I will be fine. But yes, other things come up when I don’t throw normally. It’s not a big deal. There’s only a maximum percentage I can throw right now.”

Kershaw, who missed the first four months of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery in November, has completed several bullpen workouts in the last two weeks – one in which he threw about 80 pitches – but he’s not there yet got to the point where he was ready to face batsmen.

“I feel like it’s progressing, but it’s obviously not as far as I hoped or wanted,” Kershaw said. “There are slight improvements, like waking up in the morning, (ability to apply pressure) maybe. But it’s just not ready yet.”

Roberts said Kershaw, who went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts after being activated in late July, will need to complete several bullpen workouts and face hitters before being considered for the team’s injury-plagued playoff rotation is drawn.

“My arm, I hold it as best I can,” Kershaw said. “I really think I’ll be ready to pitch when my toe gets better. I just need to get as close to 100% as possible so I can throw normally.”