It was obvious to anyone who watched his start in the NLDS that Clayton Kershaw wasn’t right, and sure enough, it seems that the shoulder ailment he battled down the stretch this season was a bit more serious than the Dodgers let on. The lefty announced on Instagram on Friday that he had undergone surgery to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule of his left shoulder, adding that he’s “hopeful to return to play at some point next summer”.
Kershaw was excellent yet again when healthy in 2023, pitching to a 2.46 ERA over 24 starts and 131.2 innings. But the 35-year-old’s shoulder started nagging him around the All-Star break, holding him out from June 27 to August 10 — and limiting him to just 36.1 innings after he returned. He didn’t throw more than five innings in any start in August or September, with his fastball velocity dipping into the high 80s at times, and he suffered a disastrous start in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks, allowing six runs while recording just one out.
Kershaw was set to be among the most coveted starters on the free-agent market this winter, although it’s hard to imagine him pitching anywhere but Dodger Stadium. Given this recent setback, it seems even more likely that he’ll stay in Los Angeles, although the hometown Texas Rangers could show some interest.
As for L.A., this latest development raises even more questions about their rotation entering 2024 — and should make them even more aggressive this winter. Obviously “at some point next summer” is not the firmest of prognoses, and with Kershaw sidelined for the foreseeable future — plus injuries to Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin that could keep them out for all of next season, not to mention Julio Urias’ off-field issues — the Dodgers find themselves with work to do to shore up their starting pitching. There’s plenty of young talent, namely promising righties Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot and Emmet Sheehan, and Walker Buehler should hopefully be ready to go at the start of spring training. There are a lot of unknowns in that group, though, and Andrew Friedman could target a free agent like Blake Snell or Eduardo Rodriguez — who the team tried to acquire at this year’s trade deadline — or swing a deal for someone like Corbin Burnes or Tyler Glasnow.
