Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Clayton Kershaw will make his 2024 debut on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw has been out for the season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in the offseason, but just completed his third rehab assignment.
After the start, Kershaw indicated he felt ready to return, but would have limitations due to not fully having his stamina back yet.
“I think ultimately it’s just where the team is at. Obviously I’m not built up to 100 pitches,” Kershaw said. “Would love to come back whenever they need me, obviously, but I don’t want to put the team in a bad spot.”
Despite Kershaw not being fully built up, the Dodgers are confident he can come in and contribute to a rotation that has been dealing with numerous injuries and production issues.
“He got through four innings,” Roberts said. “I know his words are he doesn’t want to put us in harm’s way as far as putting stress on the bullpen.
But for me, for him to take the baseball, if he feels good about where he’s at physically, we can deal with the fallout. We have coverage. I just want him and the training staff to feel the same way about it.”
Kershaw faced a bump in his rehab after dealing with shoulder soreness following his first outing that caused him to stop throwing. But the setback was temporary and he got back on track quickly.
“Thankful it was only a little blip on the screen,” he said after his second rehab start.
In his final rehab start, he allowed three runs on six hits, including one home run, and finished with just two strikeouts.
Encouraging aspects from the start were Kershaw didn’t walk a batter and needed just 67 pitches (49 strikes) to get through the outing.
His fastball velocity topped out at 91.7 mph and it represented the first time Kershaw has pitched past the third inning this year.
The 36-year-old dealt with his arm troubles throughout the 2023 season, but still managed to find success with a 2.46 ERA in 131.2 innings.
Dodgers rotation getting healthy
Along with Kershaw returning, Tyler Glasnow is also scheduled to come off the 15-day injured list the day prior. He has been shut done since July 9 while dealing with back tightness.
In addition, top prospect River Ryan, who missed the start of the year, is in line to make his MLB debut on Monday.
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