Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When Will Dodgers Veteran Clayton Kershaw Return?

A much-needed arm for the Dodgers!

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation has no shortage of talent, but there’s only one guaranteed future Hall of Famer among them: Clayton Kershaw. And after months of uncertainty, the left-hander is inching closer to a long-awaited return.

#Dodgers Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to make two rehab starts next week — Tuesday and Sunday (on 4 days' rest), both with OKC. Shooting for 5 IP and 75ish pitches. Per Dave Roberts
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 27, 2025

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Kershaw is scheduled to pitch five innings on Tuesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a pitch count around 75. It’s a critical step as he continues to build stamina following offseason surgeries on his shoulder and toe. However, fans eager to see Kershaw back at Dodger Stadium will have to be patient a little longer: he remains ineligible to return from the 60-day injured list until May 18.

It’s been a tough stretch for Kershaw, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since last August, when he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a bone spur in his left big toe, which sidelined him for the rest of the regular season and the entire postseason. Limited to just seven starts in 2024, Kershaw logged 30 innings with a 2–2 record and a 4.50 ERA, all career lows.

ALSO READ: Is Pitching Worth the Risk for Dodgers’ Star Shohei Ohtani?

Clayton Kershaw recommitted to the Dodgers this offseason. On February 13, 2025, he signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract loaded with roster and games-started bonuses. This season marks his 18th with the Dodgers, tying Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the longest tenure in franchise history and making him just the 59th player in MLB history to spend 18 seasons with one team.

Along with Clayton Kershaw, even Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the mound sometime later this year. Kershaw is expected to beat the Japanese phenom to that race. The timeline is becoming clearer. His last rehab outing came on April 22 with Double-A Tulsa, where he tossed three innings. Tuesday’s assignment will stretch him out further, putting him on pace to rejoin the Dodgers within weeks, assuming no setbacks.

Clayton Kershaw

Dodgers

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.