Clayton Kershaw has been forced to watch the Dodgers’ playoff run from the dugout due to the bone spurs in his left big toe, which capped off an injury-marred season that saw him pitch a career-low 30 innings. Despite these obstacles, Kershaw told the Fox Sports pregame crew today (video link) that he plans to return for his 18th Major League season.
Referring to the shoulder procedure he underwent last November, Kershaw said “I want to make use of this surgery, you know? I don’t want to have surgery and shut it down. So I’m gonna come back next year and give it a go and see how it goes.” While he referred to his bone spurs as “some tough luck,” Kershaw said that otherwise, “my shoulder and elbow, everything, my arm, feels great.”
Injuries have been an omnipresent part of Kershaw’s story for the last several seasons, and he has openly considered retirement before eventually deciding to keep pitching in general, and keep pitching for the Dodgers. With a 4.50 ERA over his 30 frames in his age-36 season, this marked the first time Kershaw showed any decline in performance amidst his health concerns — while limited to 258 innings over the 2022-23 seasons, Kershaw still had a 2.37 ERA and was an All-Star in both campaigns.
Kershaw didn’t give any hint as to whether or not another surgery might be required to address his bone spurs, though that might seem the logical course of action for what has seemingly been a longer-term issue. (Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said in August that Kershaw had been dealing with the bone spurs for multiple years.) Until we know if such a procedure is even required or not, it’s too soon to say if Kershaw might be fully ready to go when the Dodgers start their Spring Training camp in February. His shoulder rehab delayed his 2024 debut until July 25.
While rehabbing from the shoulder surgery, Kershaw delayed his next contract until February 2024, when he rejoined the Dodgers on a two-year, $10MM guarantee. The contract is specifically a $5MM deal for the 2024 season and then a minimum $5MM player option for 2025 that Kershaw will presumably exercise. As per the terms of the contract, Kershaw earned an extra $2.5MM in 2024 salary, and an extra $5MM on his player option, so he’ll now bank another $10MM by picking up his player option. It is possible Kershaw and the Dodgers could work out an extension of some kind to lock in that salary and tack on another option for 2026, to give both sides flexibility should Kershaw want to keep pitching for yet another season.
Though Kershaw could still find himself with a World Series ring in a few weeks’ time, it isn’t surprising that he isn’t considering ending his career on the low note of a 30-inning season. He even had a 2.63 ERA in his first five starts before allowing eight runs over his last six innings pitched, presumably when the returned discomfort from his toe started to impact his performance. If Kershaw can remain as healthy as possible for a 37-year-old pitcher with his injury history, it isn’t hard to imagine that he can still deliver quality production.
After struggling through a mountain of pitching injuries this season, the Dodgers technically have a full staff worth of options for 2025, even if every available arm has some degree of health concerns. As noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman stated over the weekend that the team may use a six-man rotation in order to help keep everyone healthy, and to provide more rest for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto specifically. Ohtani didn’t pitch in 2024 due to UCL surgery and naturally has the added workload of his DH duties, while the Dodgers have been keeping Yamamoto on the Japan-like schedule of pitching with at least five days of rest.
Between that duo and Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow missed the end of the season and the playoffs due to an elbow strain, Tony Gonsolin didn’t pitch in 2024 while recovering from a Tommy John surgery, and Dustin May didn’t pitch in 2024 due to recoveries from a pair of arm procedures in July 2023 and then a throat surgery in July of this year. Bobby Miller, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski, and prospect Jackson Ferris are other arms that figure to be part of the rotation mix. It also stands to reason that L.A. will surely add another pitcher or two this offseason to help safeguard this group against any further injury hits.
Acoss1331
Im selfish, I want him to finish as a Dodger and get 3000 strikeouts. He’s a first-ballot no doubt Hall of Fame pitcher, but it’d be nice to have him go down with one team and as a member of the 3K Club.
mookiesboy
you’re selfish? Kershaw is the selfish one
He’s done being able to help the team
Baseball’s Topics on Baseball Today
He’s still better than a ton of starting pitchers who will be playing next year.
paddyo furnichuh
If you were Mookie’s boy, you’d be smarter.
Very Barry
Some of these guys will do anything to delay actually being at home with the wife and kids. Not saying Kershaw, but a lot of guys have “Wade Boggs Situations”. You know, wife at home, and girlfriend on the road. While you are playing, the girlfriend gets 81 days on the road + Spring Training. You retire, it gets hard to “disappear” for 100 days out of the year.
metsin4
What do you want them to sit around the house at 37? What their personal life entails is really none of any of our business.
Fever Pitch Guy
Boy – He’s only 36, and he’s made 46 starts with a 2.35 ERA over the past two years.
Did you just start following baseball or something?
grandsalametime
Yeah, but who will be a sucker enough to pay him?
tangerinepony
5M player option dodgers are already picking it up. Read the article!!
Pickle_Britches
I’m sorry
PoisonedPens
Clayton needs to read the tea leaves. They’re saying “you had a great run but the body’s done”
Baseball’s Topics on Baseball Today
A 36 year-old intending to pitch next year? Never have I heard of such a thing!! Or at least it seems some people on here have never heard of such a thing.
McNasty1
How can he pitch when he’s on the Disabled List 99.9% of the season
Cam
That’s still pitching 0.1% of the time..
metsin4
More then most the Dodgers employ.
thickiedon
Nice how the possibility of resigning Buehler was glossed over.
toptimrubies
MLBTR’s parade of trolls march on.
Old York
Need to build pitchers up so the can throw 300-400 innings a season. Then you don’t need minor league fodder pitching for you throughout the season.
Miss the days of guys like Ed Walsh and Old Hoss Radbourn.
paddyo furnichuh
oldyorkie has his phone while in the blue medical tent…again.
Old York
@paddyo furnichuh
You seem triggered by a random statement. Strange…
citizen
dodgers will need to spend another $1 billion dollars in starting pitching next year.
Datashark
if they do not win WS this year, they will spend it.
Saint Nick
Why not come back? If LA is gonna give him millions for a few starts, might as well.
scottn59c
Love Kershaw and hope he stays in the game as long as he’s able to be competitive. And that’s coming from a Giants fan.
Smacky
Dude needs to cut back on the drinking and get the gout under control.
Datashark
$5m option – Kershaw could easily get more especially with incentives in the open market.
Dodgers at $5m are getting him on the cheap. There are many pitchers stealing the bank but not Kershaw.
even with Kershaw a 5 inning pitcher – he can still deliver at least like a very good #4 and can be a good #3 next year.
toptimrubies
It’s a $10M option, though the wording in the article doesn’t make it all that clear.