The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed Clayton Kershaw back to the fold on July 25 when the left-hander made his 2024 debut against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. After undergoing shoulder surgery during the offseason, Kershaw was back on the mound in the Majors for the first time since Game 1 of the 2023 National League Division Series.
Kershaw had not been fully built up during his rehab starts in the Minors, but returned when the organization asked him to as their rotation was in dire straights due to a rash of injuries and other factors.
With three starts this season under his belt, the results for Kershaw so far have been a mixed bag. The one thing that has become clear is he is still building up stamina to pitch deeper into games, with 83 pitches being the most he has thrown in a single game thus far.
Perception was the Dodgers rushed Kershaw back too soon following his start against the San Diego Padres on July 31 in which he surrendered seven runs (three earned) on six hits and failed to record a strikeout for the first time in his career.
That start may have also caught the attention of some within the Dodgers as well, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The Dodgers are privately concerned about Clayton Kershaw, who was rocked in his second start against the Padres, lasting just 3 ⅔ innings and for the first time in his career, failed to strike out a batter.
At the time the move was made to activate Kershaw, it made a lot of sense even if he wasn’t fully ready to take on the full load of being a starter.
Kershaw did look much improved in his next start against the Philadelphia Phillies last Tuesday, striking out five and almost completing five innings for the first time this season. Kershaw said having better command was the big difference-maker, and his continued improvement will be something to monitor as the regular season winds down.
Clayton Kershaw feeling no ill effects from surgery
Despite undergoing surgery on his throwing arm for the first time in his career, Kershaw’s shoulder seems to have physically recovered very well.
One particularly remarkable sign has been the look of his delivery post-op, which has stayed consistent to what it has looked like throughout his career.
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