Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
In what should be a surprise to absolutely no one, Clayton Kershaw is back.
Clayton Kershaw is at the Dodgers facility playing catch. He and the Dodgers have agreed to terms on a new contract, per source, though he still has to finish going through his physical.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) February 11, 2025
Kershaw, 37 next month, is returning for at least one more run at another World Series ring. Seems like we’ve been saying this for the last 3-4 years now, but it really does feel like this could be the last hurrah for the GOAT.
He’s coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season that saw him throw just 30 innings and pitch to a 4.50 ERA, 3.53 FIP and just an 11.3 K-BB%. He had shoulder surgery last winter and had two procedures following the 2024 season — one to remove bone spurs and fix a ruptured plantar plate in his foot, and the other to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Getting old sucks!
Don’t expect to see a lot of him in 2025, or to see him anytime soon. He’ll probably need a lengthy rehabilitation process to get back on the mound. While no timeline has been set or even alluded to, a midseason return doesn’t seem that out of the question. Because of this, expect him to be placed on the 60-day injured list when the move is official.
——
The greatest pitcher in Dodgers’ history is trying to add one more accolade to his overflowing trophy case: 3,000 strikeouts. He sits at 2,968 strikeouts. Even in his 30 innings last season, he struck out 24 batters. If we use his strikeout rate of 18% or 7.2 K/9 for 2025 — which is far, far lower than his career average — he’d need about 178 batters faced. He faced 4.4 batters per inning last season, so we’re looking at 40-41 innings for him to reach that milestone. Again, this is if he’s pitching at his 2024 level for ’25. Maybe he unlocks some of the classic Kershaw we’ve come to adore and can get it done in 3-4 starts. Either way, the chase for 3,000 is going to be fun to watch this summer.
Anything else Kershaw gives the Dodgers and fans is just gravy. I mean, he’s — at absolute best — the seventh-best starting pitcher in the org, and even that feels a little generous. For as much as he has given to the team, the org and the city, he has a chance to be a little selfish in this chase. He deserves it.
The King is back, and all is right in the baseball world.
