Clayton Kershaw was among two additions to the Los Angeles Dodgers roster for the National League Division Series after being left off during the Wild Card round.
Kershaw pitched 5.1 innings on the final day of the regular season, which effectively took him out of consideration for the initial Dodgers playoff roster.
The left-hander is now ready to contribute in a relief role whenever the opportunity arises. He expressed a willingness to pitch out of the bullpen due to the Dodgers’ surplus of starters and a desire to help the team repeat as World Series champions in his final season as a player.
Kershaw could pitch high-leverage innings or provide length if a starter comes out early, but manager Dave Roberts said it is possible that he may be asked to do both.
“I think those scenarios certainly play into one, two, potential uses of Clayton,” Roberts said. “I trust him. I just think there’s other opportunities he might have to pitch.
“But I also do feel that there’s other guys, whether it’s lanes or spots, that I feel we’re more comfortable with. It’s not a slight on Clayton, but I do think that there’s various roles — up, down, early, late — that I could use him.”
Kershaw made one relief appearance during the final week of the regular season and threw a scoreless inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was his first bullpen outing since 2019.
Kershaw also pitched out of the bullpen during that year’s NLDS. Prior to that, he made at least one relief appearance in the postseason from 2016-2018.
When will Clayton Kershaw pitch in postseason?
Kershaw did not pitch in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, and presumably is available Wednesday night.
Kershaw has produced mixed results as a reliever in the playoffs but L.A. is confident using the future Hall of Famer in any situation. Kershaw conceivably could cover multiple innings if that’s needed after Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s start, or perhaps be among the options the Dodgers turn to in a shorter appearance to finish out the game.
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