The Dodgers are scheduled to start Sport 1 of the NLDS towards the Padres later this night, and among the many pitchers notably absent from their roster for the sequence is veteran southpaw Clayton Kershaw. That’s not a shock on condition that he was beforehand mentioned to be focusing on a return someday in mid-October, however right now supervisor Dave Roberts instructed reporters (together with Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that the Dodgers will truly be with out Kershaw for your complete postseason. Plunkett provides that, in accordance with Roberts, the bone spurs in Kershaw’s huge toe haven’t improved since he went on the IL again in August, including that issues may very well have worsened since then.
The information formally brings to an finish an injury-plagues season for Kershaw, who leaves the 2024 marketing campaign behind with a 4.50 ERA (87 ERA+) and three.87 FIP in 30 innings of labor throughout seven begins whereas putting out simply 18% of opponents. That’s by far the bottom strikeout charge of his profession and the primary time his ERA+ has been under common since his rookie marketing campaign again in 2008, when his 98 ERA+ got here in only a hair under common. Whereas low stroll and residential run charges assist to salvage a few of Kershaw’s peripheral numbers, 2024 will nonetheless go down because the worst season of the veteran’s profession thus far, although given the small pattern its troublesome to attract conclusion about his means when wholesome sufficient to take the mound.
Kershaw holds a $10MM participant possibility for the 2025 season, although after sometimes considering retirement in every of the previous a number of years it’s not but clear whether or not or not he’ll train that possibility or wait to resolve on his future till later within the offseason. Ought to he resolve to proceed his profession into 2025, the long run Corridor of Famer will certainly be welcomed again by the one workforce he’s ever recognized throughout an offseason the place the membership is certain to pursue rotation additions with solely Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Gavin Stone locked into the 2025 beginning rotation alongside Shohei Ohtani, whose return to the mound will possible necessitate shifting to a six-man employees.
Extra to return…
