Clayton Kershaw is back with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 17th season after re-signing with the team on a one-year contract that includes a player option for 2025.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner is facing a long rehab after undergoing surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder at the start of the offseason.
Kershaw will likely be placed on the 60-day injured list at some point as he is not expected to return to a Major League mound until the summer months of the 2024 season.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Clayton Kershaw will be allowed to continue his rehab at his home in Dallas, which allows him to be with his family, via Andy McCullough of The Athletic:
The Dodgers have granted Kershaw the space to conduct as much of his rehab as he wants at his home in Dallas. This was part of the team’s pitch to convince him to return to the team.
“Most guys, it’s important to have them under the care of the training staff and be able to monitor their rehab progression,” president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman told me last week. “But with Clayton, it’s impossible to trust him more. Whether he is in Arizona, Texas or L.A., we know that it will be the exact same process.”
Kershaw has spent a portion of the rehab process at his Texas home for some of his injuries in the past, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the Dodgers are confident he will be able to do so again.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old pitched through a left shoulder injury during the second half of the 2023 season, but proved he was still an elite starter when healthy, going 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 24 starts.
Clayton Kershaw ‘felt wanted’ by Dodgers
The Dodgers maintained hope throughout the offseason that Kershaw would return to the only organization he has known. The future Hall of Famer was appreciative of the club’s interest and giving him all the time he needed to make a decision.
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