As the Dodgers celebrate their World Series victory today, left-hander Clayton Kershaw informed reporters that he will be on the surgeon’s table next week, with work to be done on his left toe and left knee.
He missed time this year due to bone spurs in his left big toe, but the problems evidently go beyond that, as he also has a ruptured plantar plate. The knee surgery will be to correct a torn meniscus. Details were relayed by various reporters, including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic (X links). His return timeline is unclear at this point.
Kershaw, 37 in March, has a legendary career but his most recent seasons have been defined by his health issues. Due to various ailments, he hasn’t tossed 135 innings in a season since 2019.
It was almost exactly a year ago, on November 3 of 2023, that the lefty announced he had undergone shoulder surgery. Since that procedure was going to keep him out until midseason, he and the Dodgers reunited on a deal that reflected his health status.
It was technically a two-year deal, with Kershaw guaranteed $5MM in both 2024 and 2025 but with the second season being a player option. The deal also included a number of incentives that would allow Kershaw to increase both the value of his 2024 salary and 2025 player option based on games started.
As he attempted to return to the club this summer, he was slowed by some shoulder soreness during his rehab, getting reinstated in late July. In just over a month on the roster, Kershaw made seven starts with a 4.50 earned run average before landing on the injured list due to the aforementioned bone spurs in his toe.
He attempted to get back into game shape as the season was winding down but wasn’t successful. Today’s news provides a bit more clarity on what exactly Kershaw was up against while trying to get back on the field.
By making seven starts this year, Kershaw unlocked escalators worth $5MM on his 2025 option, bringing the value to $10MM. Though he’s set for another offseason of surgery and rehab, he reiterated today that he plans on coming back next year.
He could do that simply by triggering the $10MM option, or perhaps he and the club will negotiate some new pact. His recent free agent trips have been characterized as him essentially deciding between returning to the Dodgers versus signing with his hometown Texas Rangers. During today’s celebrations, Kershaw seemed to erase any mystery about which jersey he would be wearing next year. He declared himself a “Dodger for life,” per Ardaya on X.
Whenever he returns, he will slot into a Dodger rotation that currently projects to include Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Landon Knack and others.. Guys like Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan or Kyle Hurt could factor in once they recover from their Tommy John surgeries. The Dodgers will also likely make offseason moves that alter their rotation picture, either via free agency or trade.
Is this guy ever going to be healthy again?
He’s approaching his late-30s, so no.
I just like how they said game shape. Gonna take a bit of work this often to work that boiler off
He makes 7 starts and that triggers a $5M increase in salary? Pretty lenient contract.
No.
Clayton, its time to retire. You had a good run.
He’ll retire when he wants to.
Very, very few players get to retire when they want to.
I consider Willie Mays to be the GOAT and even he went out a shell of himself in the wrong uniform.
He will get that privilege, because he wants to play only if he can contribute.
HalosHeavenJJ: Mays was a shell of himself, but there was nothing wrong with the uniform. He chose to return to and retire in New York.
Go out on top even though he did nothing to help LA get it’s first championship in 36 years.
What’s your legacy? What have you accomplished in your life?
By the way, they won in 2020. It’s in the official record book.
That 2020 World Series was entirely in a pandemic-induced bubble in Texas.
Oh my gosh you’re right, the Dodgers don’t deserve that one since they are the only team that played under those circumstances lol
Strangely enough, the only fans who believe the 2020 postseason doesn’t count are fans of the teams that didn’t win it. You know it’s a statement of principle.
I expect 18-20 starts with a sub-3 era. Not durable enough for a full season any more, he still is a huge asset.
As a Dodgers fan, sign me up for that right now.
Likewise.
Clayton is a southpaw with a track record, a very good track record. Your comment is not only common, it lacks common sense. Time for you to self mute.
Did you say that about Justin Verlander before he won his last Cy Young at age 39?
A lot of clean up on aisle 2.
Arm and back are normal again. Fix the tie and knee and he will be 100%. I can see the Dodgers using a 6 man rotation next year.
Tbh it might be a 7 man given Glasnow and Kershaw’s inability to stay healthy and that Ohtani creates an extra roster spot.
Yeah, 6 man seems likely. Frankly, they already have a rotation ready to go:
1. Glasnow
2. Ohtani
3. Yamamoto
4. Kershaw
5. Gonsolin
6. May
But lord knows they’ll need a minimum 17 more starters to get through the season.
Dustin May looks like he could be a character from Fraggle Rock.
Odds are that at least one will be on the shelf at all times, possibly two so that’s a great plan.
Ready to go?
With ohtani coming back from tc, and yamamoto being used to a longer time between starts, i think a 6 man rotation is a great idea.
Ohtani – Yamamoto – Glasnow – Kershaw – Stone – May/gonsolin/…
That’s a crazy amount of quality starting pitching
Don’t forget Buehler. He’s a legacy player, and there’s no way they let him walk. He’ll get a multi-year deal with opt-outs should he exceed expectations. That would have been the case regardless of what happened in October.
Also, Stone will miss the 2025 season.
Oh is Stone ruled out for the entire year?
I think they might get outbid for buehler, but would be great to see him back
Yes, unfortunately, Stone will miss 2025.
They won’t get outbid for Buehler. They’re the Dodgers, and they treat their players well. He’ll be back pitching alongside his buddy Clayton.
That’s assuming they want to bring Buehler back. I suspect they will, but it’s possible they’ll prioritize someone a bit more reliable (even if the ceiling is lower).
It’s the Dodgers. They’re successful because they don’t run things like everybody else. Bringing back a legacy player like Buehler makes perfect sense. He’ll get good money and continue to chase championships in October. Why do you think Kershaw keeps returning?
I hope so! That’s what I want to see. The Dodgers have to keep Buehler!
Oh, and Teo too, unless they can steal Rooker from the A’s or Reynolds from the Pirates.
Bobby Mueller, would like to see him go to Driveline this winter with someone from the Dodgers pitching staff with him. Then go to Camelback to continue working on getting his mechanics & confidence back on track.
I believe they will make Buehler a QO and see where it goes from there. He’ll get a huge Standing O from the crowd the next time he appears at Dodger Stadium no matter what uniform he’s wearing.
Stone will be out for the season, but otherwise this is probably what their rotation will look like.
Can never have enough pitching.
Always rooting for him to come back
He’s probably just 6 starts or so from reaching 3,000 K’s. Surely that’s not the primary reason he’s coming back, but after that there’s very little left for him to be chasing.
He’s not necessarily chasing anything. He enjoys pitching and can still do it at a high level.
But if you insist he needs to chase something, there’s Don Sutton’s franchise wins record of 233.
What a great player setting a great example. Stay injured and sit on your butt collecting Millions. He’s living the dream.
Maybe your dream, some people would prefer to contribute to society
Clayton Kershaw had a dream early in his life, focused on it, worked hard, and achieved it and then some. And he’s done even more off the field. He’s an excellent example for everyone.
Too many people shuffle through life and settle for whatever’s available.
Too many people trying to turn hard work, talent and high standards into a vice.
I hope he comes back healthy so he can finish his career on his own terms.
Just enough to get to 3000 strikeouts and end his career as a Dodger.
He can end his career as a Dodger right now and 3,000 strikeouts means nothing when most pitchers average a strikeout per inning. K’s have become a meaningless stat.
There’s currently 19 players All Time who have had 3000 or more career strikeouts. I’d say becoming the 20th player to the exclusive club means something.
Trifecta
Head
Shoulders
Knees
Toes
Head
Shoulders
Knees
Toes
Sounds like a shampoo & body wash in one just waiting to be named.
Trifecta means 3.
I don’t understand this post.
As I’ve noted the dude is clearly drinking to hard. Him & Austin Barnes got the gout from it.
All decisions are easy when you spend money like drunken sailors! Oh, I insulted the sailors.SO sorry!
Grandpa Clayton
If healthy next season, I expect Kershaw to win one final Cy Young. Retiring as the GOAT.
And Paul Goldschmidt will hit .335 with 46 homers while Joey Votto will come back and win the triple crown?
Joey was hurt reading this comment and will be out all next season as a result
Darren: Kershaw is nowhere near being the GOAT even on his own franchise.
He’s such a class act on and off the field. Hopefully his competitive drive doesn’t keep him in the game too long and he starts his HOF countdown.
Funny. The rumor that Kersh maybe did not actually plan to retire as a Dodger never had any basis in reality. But somehow it is only now being put to rest? Those who paid attention to the man knew all along he intended to be a Dodger for life and that the Dodgers would move mountains to make it so.
It was something to watch him during today’s festivities. He so good at being Mr. Game Face, but today he was reduced to tears trying to explain what this championship and parade meant to him. Just a lesson if we ever are tempted to forget that these athletes are human beings.
I think there was a very teensy tiny slim chance that he’d thought about a move back to his hometown in Texas and be a Ranger to finish out his career, but then 0.2 seconds later he snapped out of it.
Not a single mention of Bobby Miller in the article or the comments. My, how far he’s fallen.
Yes, an absolutely horrendous ‘24, but he proved in ‘23 he can be a quality starter at the major league level. Here’s hoping he can get himself right and return to his ‘23 form.
Probably nobody outside the organization knows exactly what happened to him between the two seasons, but sophomore slumps are common enough. Baseball is a game of adjustments. The league adjusted to him and now he has to make adjustments himself.
The team needs him healthy because he is the best cheerleader in the game
Extremely overrated
Nothing you have to worry about, it seems.
12 wins next year
why didn’t he have surgery during the season? it would have been cool if he had retired w Hudson.
Exactly zero Dodgers fans think would this have been cool.
sure your ready to wager on that
Don’t need to wager on anything. I go to games.
yeah so do i. and several of those games were playoff games in which CK imploded. my mom who passed last year was 100 and she was tired of him falling down in big games. would be great if maybe he’d choose to be a late inning guy but he won’t. he’s going in the HOF and all that cause he’s put up crazy numbers. but to say zero Dodger fans would want him to retires is wholly inaccurate. oh but you know everything cause you go to games. weak sauce.