Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw to Make 5th Rehab Appearance on Sunday at OKC; Expected to be Activated from IL After
MIAMI— Los Angeles Dodgers veteran left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw is expected to appear in another minor league rehab game on Sunday with the Triple-A OKC Comets, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Over the last month, Kershaw has been ramping up his inevitable return to the Dodgers’ starting rotation, kicking off his minor league rehab assignment in April.
Kershaw, 37, has missed the entire 2025 regular season until this point after dealing with offseason knee and toe surgeries. These surgeries placed the lefty on the 60-day injured list to start the year, making him ineligible to return until May 18th.
Overall, in Kershaw’s first four rehab appearances, the southpaw has a 2.12 ERA across seventeen innings, collecting fourteen strikeouts.
Kershaw’s most recent outing with the Dodgers was at Ariozna’s low-A affiliate. In that game, he tossed six no-hit innings and struck out four batters, the longest he has pitched so far.
The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been hit with a wave of injuries over the last several weeks. First, Dodgers lefty Blake Snell was placed on the 15-day injured list in early April with shoulder inflammation and shut down from throwing after feeling discomfort in a mid-April bullpen session.
Then it was righty Tyler Glasnow who left back-to-back starts early with leg cramps and right shoulder discomfort before also being placed on the 15-day injured list.
While the team has activated right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin since then, it still needs one more viable arm, which now seems likely to be Kershaw.
As mentioned, Kershaw is not eligible to be activated off the 60-day injured list until May 18th, exactly one week after his scheduled start in OKC. Thus, this is likely his last minor league appearance.
The eighteen-year veteran re-signed with Los Angeles just as the team reported to spring training in Glendale, Arizona, at Camelback Ranch for a 1-year, $7.5 million deal that can reach $16 million with numerous escalators.
Kershaw appeared in a handful of games last season after missing the entire first half of the regular season, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
After making his regular season debut in July last season at Dodger Stadium against their National League West rival, the San Francisco Giants, the lefty would only make six more starts, pitching to a 4.50 ERA in thirty innings.
Kershaw was having his season end prematurely, and due to a nagging toe and knee injury that had been bothering him for several seasons, the lefty would be unable to join the Dodgers before their October run.
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