Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Reveals The Key to His Recovery

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 10, 2024

Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clayton Kershaw is doing everything he can to keep his arm in game shape while managing an injury to the big toe on his left foot. With October fast approaching, the Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping their veteran ace will be physically and mentally ready to join the postseason roster.

“It’s beyond frustrating,” Kershaw admitted to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “Because I really do, my body feels great. Shoulder, back, everything feels really good. It’s just that last little bit.”

Clayton Kershaw is throwing off a makeshift mound right now in the outfield. pic.twitter.com/mhisoVwr2O

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 9, 2024

For Kershaw, this is a rare feeling. Unlike in recent seasons, his health seems to be on track. His chronically troublesome back has been holding up well, and his shoulder has fully healed from the surgery he underwent in the offseason. For a 36-year-old pitcher with more than 2,700 innings on his arm, this is no small feat. He feels like his arm is ready to go. The only thing holding him back is that injured toe.

With that in mind, Kershaw has been working with shoe sponsor, Skechers. This could be key when he returns to the active roster.

“Today I had some cleats where we shaved some of the cleats off to take the pressure off,” he said. “Skechers is thinking about different ways to make some shoes for me, different insoles. They’re trying. I don’t have anything yet, but got some different orthotics coming today. So, we’re trying. It’s not from a lack of effort.”

"I won’t need that much rehab time. So trying to find different cleats that work, different shoes that work, different angles of my foot that work. Throwing off the mound, that turf mound, felt a little better today. So I feel like I’m doing enough to keep my arm going." 2/2

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 10, 2024

Since his last appearance on Aug. 30, Kershaw has been creative in trying to stay sharp. He’s been throwing flat-ground sessions in both tennis shoes and a walking boot, testing out different “foot angles” to find a way to ease the pressure on his injured toe. On Monday, he took it up a notch by pitching from a portable ramp in the outfield, with only a sock on his left foot.

“I’m just trying everything to try and take the pressure off of it, to keep my arm going as best I can so when I do feel 100 percent, I won’t need that much rehab time,” Kershaw explained. “Throwing off the mound, that turf mound, felt a little better today. So I feel like I’m doing enough to keep my arm going. It’s not there yet to be able to push off for a full game. But it’s getting better.”

The Dodgers are closely monitoring Kershaw’s progress and remain hopeful that he will soon be back to full strength. For now, it’s a day-by-day process, but the team is optimistic that their star pitcher will be ready to make an impact when it matters most.

“Just pushing up against [the calendar] as close as I can, to at least have a little bit of time in the regular season to go make some starts,” he said of his uncertain timeline to return. “But yeah, it’s gonna be close for sure.”