Clayton Kershaw Makes Huge Announcement Ahead of NLCS Game 2

Ricardo Sandoval | 11 Hours Ago

Aug 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar and veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw will be back for the 2025 season. 

Kershaw announced the news himself on the pregame show with MLB on FOX. 

“Mentally, I feel great. I had shoulder surgery last offseason, and my shoulder and elbow, everything, my arm, feels great,” Kershaw said on the Fox pregame show. “Obviously, I had some tough luck with my foot this year. But I want to make use of this surgery. I don’t want to have surgery and shut it down. So I’m gonna come back next year and give it a go and see how it goes.”

Big thanks to 3-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw for joining our show before Game 2 today! @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/6y3NWG33nD

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 14, 2024

Kershaw was shut down for the postseason last week, and he will look to continue his Hall of Fame career in 2025. The 36-year-old could only muster seven starts in 2024 after returning from shoulder surgery he underwent in Nov. 2023 for the first time in his career. 

He made his season debut in late July but ultimately made his last start on Aug. 30 due to a bone spur in his big left toe. He continued to keep his pitching arm active and had his spikes readjusted to help compensate for the pain in his left toe, but that was not enough to be able to pitch in October. 

He had this to say after being ruled out of the postseason, via ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. 

"It was getting pretty mentally exhausting to continue to try to pitch," Kershaw said. "It just kept hurting, so I got another MRI. I made it worse, so there's no point at this point to keep going. It's unfortunate. Obviously, super frustrated. That's really it. It's not getting better, so I can't pitch."

In seven starts this season, Kershaw recorded a 4.50 ERA, 2-2 record, 24 strikeouts, 3.53 FIP, and a 1.50 WHIP in 30.0 innings. 

The Dodgers have been riddled with injuries through the 2024 season, and the hope is that 2025 will be very different. Although some of their pitchers will continue to be out for next season recovering from injuries, L.A. will at least have some of their top arms, like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, and Tony Gonsolin, ready to pitch to start the season. 

One thing is certain: Kershaw's shoulder injury is no longer an issue, and fans should look forward to watching him in his age-37 season. 

"My shoulder feels great, back feels great, all that stuff," Kershaw, said. "I don't know. Obviously, I don't want to keep getting hurt all the time. It's not fun to do that. But I also really love to pitch too. Just got to weigh everything and talk about it, figure it out."