Why Clayton Kershaw’s impending return once again matters more than expected

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Yet again, those plans have gone awry. 

A year ago, the Dodgers were coming off a disappointing 2023 season in which their starters produced a 4.57 ERA, the worst mark in the team’s Los Angeles tenure, before a second straight first-round exit. They sought to change that by revamping the rotation, making Yoshinobu Yamamoto the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history, trading for Tyler Glasnow, adding veteran James Paxton, awaiting the anticipated early-season return of Walker Buehler from Tommy John surgery and expecting the further development of young standouts Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone. 

In theory, they should have had plenty of formidable options regardless of how Kershaw looked coming off the first surgery of his career, a shoulder procedure that would sideline him until summertime at the earliest. When he returned to the fold in late July, his presence was needed. 

Yamamoto had strained his rotator cuff. Paxton had already been designated for assignment. Buehler was on the injured list with hip inflammation after underperforming. Miller was back in Triple-A after failing to replicate a breakout rookie year the season prior. The Dodgers were using a bevy of rookies and openers to fill the voids. 

Kershaw entered the 2024 season just 56 strikeouts short of 3,000. He would not reach the mark, nor would he make it to September. He gritted through seven starts before the pain in his left big toe became too unbearable. He was dealing with a bone spur, arthritis and a ruptured plantar plate in his left foot and a torn meniscus in his left knee. Both injured body parts would eventually require surgery. 

He made his final start of the year on Aug. 30, then watched the rest of the championship season from the sideline. 

“I don’t take it for granted anymore to get to go out there and pitch at Dodger Stadium,” Kershaw said.

This year was supposed to be different for a Dodgers team that had learned from seasons past. 

They didn’t want to have to buy at the deadline to fill their needs, the way they did last year when they added Jack Flaherty for the stretch run in order to employ just three capable, healthy starting pitchers come October. A year after committing more than $1 billion in contracts, they splurged again this past offseason, adding two of the most prized arms on the market in Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. 

Yet no matter the year, no matter the amount of money spent in the offseason or the talent assembled in Los Angeles, the importance of Kershaw persists.

Snell, Glasnow and Sasaki are all on the injured list. Despite all the moves they made, their starting pitchers have combined for a 4.14 ERA that ranks 20th in MLB. Navigating the season has once again required bullpen games and bulk innings from depth pieces. They’ve needed more innings from their relievers this year than any team in baseball. 

The Dodgers are in first place despite the litany of injuries — as of Friday morning, they have 14 pitchers on the IL not including Shohei Ohtani, who has yet to pitch for the club — though multiple division rivals are breathing down their neck. 

That’s the unexpected reality as Kershaw readies for his return. 

“Unfortunately, I think it comes at a time when we do need some starters,” Kershaw said. “Obviously, we’ve got some guys down right now. It seems like everybody’s on the mend and doing better — especially Snell and Glas, I feel like they’re trending up — so that’s good. But at the end of the day, you just want to be a contributing factor to the Dodgers. You don’t want to just be on the sidelines.” 

Kershaw was determined not to let last season’s foot injury end his career. As the years pass, his presence at Dodger Stadium remains a constant. The same can no longer be said for the longest-tenured Dodgers position player. 

For the first time since 2014, when Kershaw won his first MVP and third Cy Young Award, he will return to a team that no longer includes veteran Austin Barnes, one of his closest baseball friends. The Dodgers designated the 35-year-old veteran catcher — who has caught more Kershaw starts in his career than any catcher other than A.J. Ellis — for assignment to bring up top prospect Dalton Rushing this week in a move that surprised Kershaw and others. 

“I think a lot of people forget, he was starting a lot of playoff games and winning a lot of games for us, getting big knocks,” Kershaw said. “So, it’s sad to see someone like that go who’s been here that long. I think we all kind of feel it. It’s no disrespect to Dalton. I know he deserves it, and he’s going to be a great player. But for me personally, I think for a lot of guys on the team, it was disappointing to see him go.” 

Three days after the Dodgers let their longest-tenured position player go, the most-tenured player on their roster will take the mound. Injuries throughout the years have sapped Kershaw’s velocity, but they have not prevented him from producing. Over the last three years, with a fastball that averaged a tick over 90 mph, Kershaw tallied a 2.59 ERA. And while last season was more of a slog as he amassed a 4.50 ERA, neither the pain nor the struggles eroded his desire to keep pitching. 

In five rehab starts this year, Kershaw compiled a 2.57 ERA despite a fastball that averaged 87.5 mph. He knew he turned a corner over his last few rehab starts when he became more concerned about throwing well than how his surgically-repaired foot felt. 

“Now, it’s just a process of figuring out how to get guys out consistently again and perform,” Kershaw said. “That’s a much better place to be.” 

Kershaw can still outmaneuver opponents with a slider and curveball that will eventually land him in Cooperstown, even if he can’t overpower them the way he once did. He will enter the 2025 season just 32 strikeouts away from 3,000, a milestone only 19 pitchers before him have reached. 

“I haven’t really thought about that a whole lot,” Kershaw said. “For me, just getting back out on the mound is a big first step. Then it’s the rest of the season, obviously. Just making it through Saturday and getting back out there is what I’ve thought about so far.”

 Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers

Major League Baseball

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