Making his first appearance since Aug. 2024, Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw took the mound for a rehab start on Wednesday morning.
Kershaw’s return to game action generated anticipation, and he didn’t disappoint. In a successful outing against the Tacoma Rainiers at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, the 10-time All-Star tossed three scoreless innings, striking out two and giving up just a pair of singles.
Originally set to pitch just two innings, Kershaw’s ability on the mound led him to a third. He threw 30 pitches, 22 of them for strikes.
Injuries, Surgeries, and Milestones
He began the season on the 60-day injured list, and is expected to be eligible to play sometime in May. On Aug. 30, 2024, the three-time Cy Young Award Winner left his start with the Arizona Diamondbacks in just the second inning, due to suffering pain in his left big toe. Since that exit, he was sidelined through the Dodgers’ World Series Championship run, and underwent surgery on that toe along with his left knee in November.
This will be Kershaw’s 18th Major League season with the Dodgers, and the veteran is eager to make his return. After undergoing shoulder surgery last year, he didn’t pitch until July 25. He went just 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts before getting shut down in August.
Posting a 212-92 record with 2.0 ERA, Kershaw is an incredibly accomplished pitcher and is on track to the Hall of Fame. Helping the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020 and 2024, he has started 429 career games and is just 32 strikeouts away from 3,000. On top of his Cy Young and All-Star awards, he owns an MVP from 2014, and a Gold Glove.
Comeback Approaching
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that assuring Kershaw’s toe is physically in good shape is “the final piece” the team needs before the left-hander can be placed back into the rotation.
“The toe is the last part of it. The body feels good. The arm feels good. And so just getting that left toe, the drive foot is the last piece,” Roberts said in a report from MLB. “But talking to the training staff, they said he felt pretty good.”
Dodgers’ current pitching rotation consists of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Dustin May, and Blake Snell – with Snell currently on the 15-day injured list. Two-way player Shohei Ohtani is also expected to make his return to the mound this season, since recovering from shoulder surgery last year.
While there’s no set date for his 2025 Major League return, Kershaw will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. His comeback is expected toward the end of May, and Wednesday’s outing marked a significant step in that direction
Dodgers Veteran Delivers in First Rehab Start Since 2024