Dodgers News: One More Stop in OKC, then Clayton Kershaw Will Rejoin Dodgers Rotation
PHOENIX— Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that tomorrow’s rehab start for veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw will be his last, and he’ll rejoin the Dodgers rotation the following week.
Kershaw, 37, is set to make his fifth and final rehab outing tomorrow on Mother’s Day with the Triple-A OKC Comets in what will be a shorter outing per Roberts. After that, the lefty will be activated off the 60-day injured list on May 17th when he’s eligible.
“Yeah, he’s pitching tomorrow in OKC. I think it’s a little bit of a shortened stint to get ready for his outing with us,” Roberts said. “I don’t know exactly what day it’ll be with us, but he’ll be a starter and I expect a full start.”
Kershaw 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 Arizona’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 lefty will be a welcome addition to the starting rotation, which has lost two significant starters: Tyler Glasnow and lefty Blake Snell. They have also failed to pitch deep into games this season.
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’s return will also count down the massive milestone of the future Hall of Famer reaching the illustrious three thousand strikeout club, a mark only hit by three other left-handed pitchers: Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson, and CC Sabathia.
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