The Los Angeles Dodgers brought Clayton Kershaw back before the MLB trade deadline, hoping their legendary pitcher could bolster a rotation plagued by injuries. However, the team now has serious concerns about their long-time ace.
At 36, Kershaw had surgery in November 2023 to repair ligament and capsule damage in his left shoulder. The Dodgers re-signed him in February, fully aware he would be out for the first half of the season.
Kershaw’s career stats (ESPN): 2.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 2,950 strikeouts, and a 210-93 record over 2,720.1 innings pitched.
The future Hall of Famer faced setbacks during his recovery, making his season debut on July 25. In his first two starts back, Kershaw allowed 9 earned runs and 18 base runners in just 7.2 innings.
Even more concerning, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, is the Dodgers’ private worry about Kershaw’s performance since returning from the injured list.
Kershaw’s contract includes a $5 million salary for 2024 and a $5 million player option for 2025.
The 6-foot-4 left-hander is barely averaging 90 mph on his fastball, per FanGraphs, and his splitter’s velocity has dropped nearly 2 mph (from 84.4 to 82.6) compared to last season. Alarmingly, Kershaw’s Chase rate is only 29 percent, and his Whiff rate is 20.5 percent, according to Baseball Savant.
While the Dodgers have welcomed back Tyler Glasnow and made a trade for Jack Flaherty before the MLB deadline, starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still about a month away from returning. If Kershaw doesn’t improve, Los Angeles could face significant issues with its pitching depth if another injury occurs.
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