|
Kershaw, who turns 36 next month, will not be
ready to pitch at the start of the season. He underwent surgery
Nov. 3 on his throwing shoulder and posted on Instagram
following the procedure that he was "hopeful to return to play
at some point next summer."
Whenever he returns from the rehab process, Kershaw will be part
of a drastically different pitching staff.
Los Angeles signed right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a star in
Japan, to a 12-year contract, traded for Tampa Bay Rays ace
Tyler Glasnow and signed veteran left-hander James Paxton to a
one-year deal.
Youngsters Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan are expected to start
the season in the rotation. Walker Buehler, who underwent a
second Tommy John surgery in August 2022 and missed all of 2023,
will not be ready to start the season with the team. Tony
Gonsolin and Dustin May are also recovering from elbow
procedures, and prized two-way signee Shohei Ohtani will not
pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery.
Kershaw posted a 13-5 record with a 2.46 ERA in 24 starts this
past season, but he dealt with diminished velocity after
returning from midseason shoulder discomfort.
Kershaw owns a 210-92 record with a 2.48 ERA in 425 career
appearances (422 starts) with the Dodgers. He is a 10-time
All-Star and a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner,
including in 2014, when he was named the league's MVP.
Fueling his return likely is a desire to wipe out the memory of
his most recent appearance in a Dodgers uniform -- a disastrous
outing in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, when he
allowed the Arizona Diamondbacks to score six runs and recorded
just one out.
"The competitor in me doesn't want it to end the way it did. I
want to win. I want to win another World Series," said Kershaw,
a member of the Dodgers' 2020 world championship team, told a
Los Angeles radio station in December. "I'm excited to get back
after this surgery, to throw a ball and have it not hurt. I'm
excited for that."
--Field Level Media
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
