Clayton Kershaw Takes Huge Step Towards Return to Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw took a huge step toward returning to a major league mound Friday.
Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw threw 15 pitches off the Dodgers’ bullpen mound prior to the game against the Atlanta Braves and “came out well.”
The veteran pitcher had been throwing from flat ground, and now is taking the next step toward his highly anticipated return from shoulder surgery last fall.
The Dodgers re-signed Kershaw on Feb. 9 knowing he would begin the season on the injured list. There is plenty riding on the timetable for Kershaw’s return beyond the Dodgers’ fortunes. Kershaw’s one-year contract is worth $5 million guaranteed, plus additional incentives that could fetch up to $7.5 million based on the number of starts or three-inning relief appearances he makes this year.
The contract also included a player option for 2025 that could vary between $5 million and $20 million depending on the number of starts or 3-inning relief appearances he makes this year.
Two other rehabbing pitchers, right-handers Bobby Miller (shoulder) and Walker Buehler (elbow), also threw off a mound Friday, turning the home bullpen at Dodger Stadium into a busy place Friday.
Of the three, Buehler will be the first to return. He’s starting his first major league game in nearly two years Monday against the Miami Marlins.
Kershaw’s exact timetable for return is still unknown. When he announced in an Instagram post last Nov. 3 that he underwent surgery on the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder, Kershaw said he was hopeful to return this summer. After Friday’s news, that looks even more likely — if not probable.
Kershaw is 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA in 425 games (422 starts) for the Dodgers from 2008-23. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Kershaw is the Dodgers’ all-time franchise leader in Wins Above Replacement (80), among other categories.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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