The Los Angeles Dodgers may soon be welcoming back a familiar face to their starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw, working his way back from offseason knee and toe surgeries, is scheduled to make another Triple-A rehab start on Sunday that could be his final tune-up before rejoining the major league club.
The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer has been steadily building his pitch count and showing encouraging signs throughout his rehab assignment, including six impressive no-hit innings against rookie-level competition in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday.
Rehab Progress Shows Promise
Kershaw has now made four minor league rehab starts, gradually increasing his workload with each outing. His most recent appearance in the Arizona Complex League demonstrated his effectiveness, as he struck out four batters with just one walk over six hitless innings.
“From what I hear, he’s throwing the baseball well,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s certainly not major-league competition, but I know Clayton is doing everything he can to, once he gets here, be the best pitcher he can be to help us win baseball games. He’s not just checking boxes, going through the motions.”
After Tuesday’s outing, Kershaw continued working in the bullpen to push his pitch count to around 80. In his previous rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City last Wednesday, he threw five innings on 66 pitches, showing the steady progression the Dodgers have been looking for.
Perfect Timing for the Los Angeles Rotation
Kershaw becomes eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list on May 18, which falls one week after his upcoming Triple-A start on Sunday. Should all go well, his return would coincide with a challenging stretch of the team’s’ schedule.
“The timing is perfect,” Roberts said, “given [we are] dropping guys in, playing 19 games in 20 days.”
The Dodgers, despite holding baseball’s best record at 24-12, could certainly use reinforcement in their rotation. The team currently has seven starters on the injured list, including Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, both sidelined with shoulder inflammation. As a result, the Dodgers have already used 11 different starting pitchers through their first 36 games, forcing them to schedule regular bullpen games.
Milestone Watch for the Lefty Legend
When Kershaw does return to the mound, he’ll be on the verge of a significant career milestone. With 2,968 strikeouts to his name, the three-time Cy Young Award winner needs just 32 more to reach 3,000 for his career, which would make him only the 20th pitcher in MLB history to achieve that mark.
More impressively, he would become only the fourth left-handed pitcher to join the 3,000-strikeout club, alongside Hall of Famers Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton and CC Sabathia.
If the Dodgers activate Kershaw on May 18 as speculated, his 2025 season debut would come against the Los Angeles Angels in a Freeway Series matchup at Dodger Stadium — setting the stage for what the team hopes will be another championship run with their longtime ace back in the fold.