Clayton Kershaw is in the midst of a lengthy recovery after undergoing surgery during the offseason to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder.
The left-hander is continuing to make progress, and things seem to be going well. He was primarily throwing long toss in the outfield, but recently advanced to pitching off a mound.
That was a significant checkpoint for Kershaw as he had not thrown off a mound since last season. The next steps for the 36-year-old after that would be facing live hitters and then eventually beginning a rehab assignment.
Kershaw said his shoulder operation has helped him stay patient during his recovery, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think the only good thing for me is – when you don’t have surgery, you can kind of just push through and say you’re going to be ready,” Kershaw said. “In my head, it’s, ‘Well, if I don’t need surgery, then I don’t need to heal and I can go.’ But with surgery, there’s certain finite things you have to do.
“It’s really helpful for my patience level to know you can’t pick up a baseball for three months then you have to really build up for the next three months after that. I think the stepping stones are super helpful for my brain as opposed to maybe the wait-and-see approach – which is all I’ve ever known. I’ve never done this before.”
As Kershaw pointed out, the surgery has given him a more defined timeline of where he should be at this stage of his recovery.
Kershaw has been present for most of the homestands while he rehabs. When the team is on the road, he continues his treatment at his home in Texas.
Despite dealing with the significant shoulder injury during the second half of the 2023 season, Kershaw still finished the year 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 24 starts.
When will Clayton Kershaw return to Dodgers?
If all continues to go well, Kershaw believes he will be able to return to the Dodgers in late July to early August.
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