Dodgers Will Give Injured Clayton Kershaw's Rotation Spot to Rookie

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 5, 2024

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers plan to recall rookie pitcher Landon Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill in for the injured Clayton Kershaw on Friday against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium.

Knack is getting another shot in the big leagues this season, but it remains unclear how long he will stay with the major league club.

Landon Knack will be promoted by #Dodgers to start in Clayton Kershaw’s spot on Friday

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will not make another rehab start. Will start for LAD on Tuesday

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 4, 2024

This marks Knack's sixth stint with the Dodgers in 2024. He has posted a 2-2 record with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over 10 games (eight starts) for Los Angeles. At Triple-A, he has a 4-3 record with a 3.71 ERA across 14 games (12 starts).

In his most recent appearance for the Dodgers on Aug. 13, Knack surrendered one earned run on three hits against the Milwaukee Brewers while striking out two over four innings of work.

The Dodgers placed Kershaw on the injured list on Saturday, just a day after he left his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning due to a bone spur on his left big toe.

The decision to place Kershaw on the IL wasn't a surprise. Manager Dave Roberts revealed that the 36-year-old left-hander has been dealing with the bone spur “for years,” but on Friday, it flared up so severely that he struggled to push off the mound.

"It’s something he’s managed before," Roberts said, "but the pain was too much this time."

Roberts expects Kershaw to wear a walking boot to help with the recovery. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “Clayton Kershaw came out on the field to play catch in normal shoes earlier, then went inside, put on a walking boot, and is now back out here throwing with it on. Dave Roberts said over the weekend that he thought Kershaw would need a boot as he recovers from his toe injury.”

Clayton Kershaw came out on the field to play catch in normal shoes earlier, then went inside, put on a walking boot and is now back out here throwing with it on

Dave Roberts said over the weekend that he thought Kershaw would need a boot as he recovers from his toe injury

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) September 3, 2024

For Knack, this call-up is another chance to prove his value to the Dodgers' pitching staff. Although he's struggled to miss bats at the major league level, he's averaging more than a strikeout per inning at Triple-A.

Known for his ability to mix pitches effectively, Knack relies on a low-90s mph fastball complemented by a curveball, slider, and changeup.

"I’ve done a good job mixing and keeping people in-between, showing that I have four pitches that I can throw for strikes and continue to use all four as a weapon," Knack told Harris in July. "Just proving to myself that I can stay here, pitch here for a long time.”