Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will make his first Cactus League start on Friday, when the team takes on the Los Angeles Angels at Camelback Ranch, Los Angeles Dodgers reporter and host Kirsten Watson wrote in a Thursday tweet.
Clayton Kershaw, who recently could not pitch in the World Baseball Classic after he struggled to obtain an insurance policy for the tournament due to his prior injury history, was able to face live hitters in early March.
“Clayton came out of it really well,” said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts. “The ball was coming out well too, so it was good. He felt good about it.”
The Athletic reports that insurance coverage is a requirement to participate in the World Baseball Classic. Clayton Kershaw admitted in February that he was “frustrated” about the news, according to MLB.com Dodgers beat reporter Juan Toribio.
Article Continues Below“He's completely healthy,” wrote Toribio. “Mentioned he's ‘bummed' and ‘frustrated' that he can't participate.”
A 15-year member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw earned a 197-87 record with Los Angeles since he first took the mound for the Dodgers in 2008. The 34-year-old All-Star left-hander racked up 137 strikeouts, a 2.28 ERA and a 0.942 WHIP as he paved the way to take home a 12-3 record in 22 games.
Clayton Kershaw last played in over 22 games in 2019, when he played in 29 games and earned a record of 16-5. He has played in 33 games in four different seasons, most recently pulling off his career high as he took 33 starts in the 2015 season and a record of 16-7. He took third place in National League Cy Young voting and tenth place in NL MVP voting that season, according to Baseball Reference.
The Dodgers will face off against the Angels on Friday at 3:05 p.m. EST at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The game will be broadcasted on Spectrum SportsNet and Fox Sports West.