Dodgers Ace Admits Frustration Amid Injury Woes

Getty Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw wants to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 postseason. He just doesn’t know if it’s going to happen.

As the Dodgers cruise toward another division title, leading the San Diego Padres by 5.5 games as of September 10, Kershaw is trying to work his way back from a left big toe injury.

Kershaw last pitched on August 30, lasting just one inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks before a bone spur in his left toe flared up. He has dealt with the problem for years.

“It’s beyond frustrating,” Kershaw told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “Because my body feels great. Shoulder, back, everything feels really good. It’s just that last little bit. If you can’t push off, you can’t create what you need to create. So I have to find a way to be able to push off.”

The Dodgers placed him on the injured list after the game, presenting another stumbling block in what has been another rough season for the Dodgers legend. Offseason shoulder surgery kept him on the shelf until July 25, and when he came back, never quite found his footing.

After stringing three strong starts together in early August in which he threw 16.1 innings and allowed only 2 earned runs, he followed that up with a 5-run letdown against the Rays before his truncated start against the Diamondbacks to end the month.

Clayton Kershaw Is Eyeing October

Kershaw knows he doesn’t have much margin for error if he wants to make it back before the end of the season.

“I can’t really have any delays,” Kershaw told Ardaya.

Ardaya reported that as the Dodgers ace heals, he has done everything he can to retain his arm strength. That includes throwing from his knees to take pressure off his foot. He has also tried different insoles and is working with Skechers to design a cleat that could help him get back to the mound faster.

“It’s super frustrating, especially where we’re at as a team,” he admitted. “But I still have some hope that I’ll be able to be in the conversation. That’s the goal right now.”

And that means putting off thoughts of what this injury means for his future. He admitted to Ardaya that he hasn’t even asked his doctors whether his foot will require offseason surgery.

“Maybe because I just don’t want to know,” he said.

There Should Be A Place for Kershaw in the Dodgers’ Playoff Rotation

In most years, an injured veteran rushing to get back for October might not be guaranteed a spot on the playoff roster.

For the Dodgers, this hasn’t been like most years. The team has been plagued by injuries all year with the starting rotation taking the brunt of the hit. Gavin Stone, the rookie revelation who had been the one consistent in the rotation, hit the IL last week with shoulder inflammation, exacerbating the issue.

He joined Tyler Glasnow and River Ryan as Dodgers starters on the IL, while Walker Buehler is still trying to find himself in his return from injury. The team activated Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the IL on Tuesday.

It all makes the team’s trade for Jack Flaherty at the deadline look even more crucial.

All the uncertainty means that if Kershaw can pitch in the postseason, he likely will. It would be a great opportunity for the three-time Cy Young winner to redeem himself amid a lost season and to prove some doubters wrong. Though Kershaw is destined for Cooperstown, he holds a career 4.49 playoff ERA and has long been saddled with the reputation of a poor postseason pitcher.

In a month, Kershaw can both prove he’s built for the big moment and show that, at age 36, he has enough left in the tank. As always, it’s just a matter of getting healthy.