The Los Angeles Dodgers hold a comfortable seven-game lead in the National League West as of this story's writing. They feature more than enough talent to win the division as currently constructed. LA is getting fairly close to having future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw re-join the active roster, however.
Kershaw, who underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason, previously said he expected to return at some point during the summer. His once rather vague injury timeline recently received a much more certain update. According to MLB.com, Kershaw is expected to return “around the All-Star break.”
Kershaw has been steadily progressing. Kershaw will reportedly throw a two-inning simulated game on Friday. The All-Star break is in mid-July, so it appears that the Dodgers are expecting him to return in a little over a month barring any setbacks.
Besides the nostalgia impact, will Clayton Kershaw make a big difference for LA upon his return? After all, we are talking about a 36-year-old fresh off of shoulder surgery.
The answer is yes, Kershaw can still certainly make a positive impact.
What fans should expect from Clayton Kershaw in 2024
Kershaw may not be the same pitcher he once was. His forgettable postseason performance in 2023 may make it easy to forget that he performed quite well across 24 starts during the regular season.
Kershaw was selected to the 10th All-Star game of his career and finished the year with an impressive 2.46 ERA and 1.063 WHIP over 131.2 innings pitched.
No, Kershaw is not going to rely on a blazing fastball. But he simply knows how to pitch. Kershaw's ability to paint the corners while throwing breaking balls with plenty of movement keeps hitters off balance. His quality repertoire of pitches makes his fastball much more effective as well.
The Dodgers are playing well but injuries have been problematic, especially in the starting rotation. In addition to Kershaw, pitchers such as Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Emmet Sheehan, and Bobby Miller are currently on the injured list. Meanwhile, Walker Buehler is still trying to find his rhythm on the mound after returning from his second Tommy John surgery.
Having a veteran like Clayton Kershaw return will only help the pitching rotation. And if Kershaw struggles, perhaps LA could utilize him in a bullpen role during the playoffs. Although, one has to imagine that the future Hall of Famer will remain in the starting rotation.
Dodgers living up to expectations
Los Angeles entered the 2024 campaign with lofty expectations. The Dodgers added a number of stars during the offseason including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow.
The Philadelphia Phillies have played exceptionally well to begin the '24 campaign and they lead the National League. Los Angeles is second, though, and as mentioned earlier they hold a lead in the NL West. Yes, the Dodgers were expected to finish atop the league and they still may end up accomplishing that feat.
Overall, the Dodgers have lived up to expectations given all of the pressure they dealt with entering the season. Perhaps Clayton Kershaw's return will help LA improve even more.
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