Clayton Kershaw will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. The 37-year-old left-hander began his 18th season with the team on the injured list while recovering from toe and knee surgeries.
His return comes at a critical time for the Dodgers, with starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the injured list. Another starter, Roki Sasaki, reported arm soreness after his most recent start and is now on the IL with right shoulder impingement.
“It’s a big shot in the arm,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday about Kershaw’s return. “Clayton has worked really hard to get healthy and the bar is high for him. He doesn’t want to just come back to be active. He wants to be come back and help us win baseball games and be good. I know he’s excited to contribute.”
In total, the Dodgers have 15 pitchers on the IL, though that number includes Kershaw and two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who leads the majors in runs scored (44) as the team’s designated hitter.
Ohtani hasn’t pitched since 2023 after undergoing elbow surgery, but he’s continued to work toward a return to the mound. Most recently, he threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session on May 10.
Kershaw struck out two and allowed a pair of runs on two hits and two walks in his final rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. He threw 57 pitches over four innings.
“The command the last time wasn’t to his kind of standards or liking, but he still was very efficient, got the swing and miss,” Roberts said. “With Clayton just being back, it just adds an element of certainty and performance.”
The three-time Cy Young Award winner will tie Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most years with the Dodgers franchise when he starts this weekend. He and Russell are the only players to log 18 seasons since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Kershaw is the longest-tenured player on the current roster.
Kershaw is 32 strikeouts from reaching 3,000 to go with his 212 career wins.
He made just seven starts last year before his season ended in August due to pain in his left big toe. He watched from the sidelines as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win their eighth World Series title.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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