Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Clayton Kershaw will not pitch again in 2024, regardless of how far the club advances into the postseason.
Kershaw has been dealing with left big toe inflammation caused by a bone spur that caused him to land on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 31.
The southpaw has been keeping his arm active and trying to find ways to mitigate the pain, but as of late, he has been stuck in a “holding pattern.”
Kershaw still held out some hope of being able to return later in the postseason despite the decreasing odds of it happening. However, his toe injury continued to regress, forcing him to shut it down this year.
“We’re closing the door,” Roberts said. “Clayton has done everything he can to keep this thing moving forward and giving himself a chance to participate in the postseason.
“But where he’s at right now, physically, the foot, the toe just is not cooperating. It’s actually getting worse. This is it for Clayton for 2024.”
When previously discussing Kershaw’s injury, Roberts suggested the left big toe issue was more than simply a bone spur causing discomfort and inflammation. While unclear of the specifics, there’s some “other things going on” that are possibly related to the tendons or ligaments.
In addition, not being able to push off the mound like normal has also led to other physical issues that Roberts alluded to and Kershaw declined to provide details for other than explaining it as overcompensating. After that, he stopped throwing bullpen sessions.
Kershaw was previously ruled out for the National League Division Series. The Dodgers plan to utilize a rotation consisting of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler and Landon Knack.
Clayton Kershaw playoff career
Kershaw, who made his MLB debut in 2008, has missed the postseason just four times over his 17-year career. He last missed the 2021 playoffs, and prior to that, he did not appear in October baseball from 2010-12.
He owns a career 13-13 record with a 4.49 ERA across 194.1 postseason innings.
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