LA’S Kershaw out four to six weeks

Braced for the worst possible news on injured ace Clayton Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers tried to find some comfort Monday that his back diagnosis did not appear as dire as last season.

The Dodgers put their superstar left-hander on the 10-day disabled list, a day after he exited a start after just two innings.

They called the injury a lower back strain, not the herniated disk issue that sidelined him for 2½ months last year.

A report by Fox Sports said Kershaw would miss four to six weeks.

“Relative to the scan from last year, much better,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We have to take it day to day and see how he responds to medication and rest.”

“A timetable has kind of put out there, but we don’t know. With Clayton, medicine and his desire, anything can happen,” he said.

Kershaw leads the majors with a 15-2 record and a 2.04 ERA. If the early report holds, he would be able to return in early September, plenty of time to prepare for the postseason.

Royals: Contending Kansas City acquired three pitchers from the

San Diego Padres, getting starter Trevor Cahill, closer Brandon Maurer and reliever Ryan Buchter.

The Royals sent pitchers Matt Strahm and Travis Wood, minor league infielder Esteury Ruiz and cash to San Diego.

Cahill, 29, was 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 11 starts for the Padres. Maurer, 27, is 20-for-23 on save tries, and 1-4 with a 5.72 ERA. Buchter, 30, is 3-3 with one save and a 3.05 ERA in 42 games.

Twins: Hoping to bolster their rotation for a playoff run, Minnesota acquired veteran lefthanded pitcher Jaime García, catcher Anthony Recker and cash considerations from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league righthander Huascar Ynoa.

The 31-year-old García is 66-52 with a 3.65 ERA and 808 strikeouts in 176 appearances, mostly with St. Louis (2008, 2010-16). He missed the 2009 MLB season following Tommy John surgery. Garcia is 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA.

Mets: New York put pitcher Zack Wheeler on the 10-day DL because of a stress reaction in his right arm.

The Mets didn’t provide a timetable for Wheeler’s return. He was on the DL last month with biceps tendinitis and has struggled in four starts since his return.

Wheeler joins Mets starting pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Robert Gsellman on the disabled list. Steven Matz and Seth Lugo recently came off the DL and returned to the rotation.

The 27-year-old Wheeler didn’t pitch in the majors the past two years after having Tommy John surgery in 2015. He is

3-7 with a 5.21 ERA in 17 starts.

Rangers: Texas starter Tyson Ross was put on the 10-day DL because of a blister on his right index finger.

Texas made the move a day after Ross allowed five runs and four hits in 3 innings at Tampa Bay.

Ross (2-2, 7.52 ERA) has allowed 14 runs over seven innings his last two starts.