The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting back their star pitcher Clayton Kershaw for this week's series against the San Francisco Giants. He is set to return from shoulder surgery and pitch for the first time this season on Thursday night. Ahead of his debut, Kershaw spoke to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times about his expectations for the return.
“I never expected just to try to come back to not help or contribute,” Kershaw said. “I wanted to come back and be part of something special, and contribute … be one of the best five guys that we have.”
The Dodgers are cruising along this season. They sit atop the National League West, eight and a half games clear of the second-place San Diego Padres. Despite that, the starting rotation desperately needs reinforcements and Kershaw is returning at the perfect time.
The pitching rotation has been anchored by new acquisition Tyler Glasnow, who is also coming off the injured list. Behind Glasnow, Gavin Stone has put together a nice season, posting a 3.19 ERA in 19 starts. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler on the injured list and the recent move to DFA James Paxton, Kershaw's return comes at the perfect time. Plugging in a future Hall-of-Famer to start every fifth day only makes the Dodgers a bigger threat moving forward.
Expectations for Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw in 2024
Clayton Kershaw said he wanted to come back and be a top-five pitcher on the Dodgers. If he continues his recent performance, there is no doubt that he will be. In 22 starts in 2023, he put up a 2.46 and a ridiculous 177 ERA+. He missed 36 games from June 27 to August 10 but came back and allowed just nine runs in his final eight appearances in the regular season. As long as he is healthy, he will be among the best starters in the National League.
This season has been highlighted by pitchers of all ages dominating offenses in the National League. Chris Sale has returned from injuries of his own to become the Cy Young favorite in the NL. His biggest challenger is rookie Paul Skenes with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The unlikely field shows the variability of pitching in the majors this season caused by stars like Spencer Strider and Sandy Alcantara being on the shelf with Tommy John surgery.
Kershaw's return to the Dodgers rotation sets up their rotation very well for the playoffs. They also are heavily connected to Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet ahead of next week's trade deadline. That opens up the opportunity for Kershaw to pitch valuable relief innings in the playoffs. This flexibility in the rotation would match the strengths of the Philadelphia Phillies and set up an all-time Championship Series matchup.
The Dodgers and their fans are certainly excited to get their Hall of Famer back in the rotation. The team needs more pitching to compete for the World Series and Kershaw provides some of the best pitching in the league. He is ready to contribute and a healthy and rested Kershaw is a scary sight in October.
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