LOS ANGELES — As the regular season came to an end and Clayton Kershaw was ruled out for the postseason with his foot injury, the 36-year-old pitcher was asked about his future and whether he would be back in 2025.
“I’ll talk about it after the season,” Kershaw said at the time, deflecting the question.
“You just have to weigh everything. I’ll talk to Ellen (his wife) and figure it out. We’ll see how it goes.”
He is apparently ready to talk about it now.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner went on the FOX pregame show before Game 2 of the National League Championship Series and was asked the same question.
“I’m going to come back next year and give it a go and see how it goes,” Kershaw told the panel, including Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez.
Kershaw underwent shoulder surgery last November and was unable to return to the Dodgers until July. He made just seven starts, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA, before a chronic toe injury involving bone spurs forced him to shut it down for the season.
“Mentally, I feel great,” Kershaw said on FOX. “I had shoulder surgery last offseason, and my shoulder and elbow, everything, my arm, feels great. Obviously, I had some tough luck with my foot this year. But I want to make use of this surgery. I don’t want to have surgery and shut it down.”
"I'm going to come back next year and give it a go."
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 14, 2024
Clayton Kershaw announces that he will return next season pic.twitter.com/N0VCpcQsMq
In 17 seasons (a franchise record for a pitcher), Kershaw is 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA, the three Cy Young Awards and an NL MVP. He needs just 32 strikeouts to become the 20th pitcher in baseball history to reach 3,000 in his career. He is 21 wins short of Don Sutton’s franchise record.
Kershaw signed a one-year contract last February that included a player option for 2025. His salary this year and next were contingent on how much he was able to pitch following shoulder surgery. He hit just one of the bonuses by making seven starts.
He could also decline the option and become a free agent. This year’s qualifying offer for eligible free agents is expected to be $21 million.
LUX STATUS
Second baseman Gavin Lux was not going to be in the starting lineup for Game 2 against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea, but he left Game 1 early with tightness in his right hip flexor.
“Just kind of coming out of the box on that bunt (in the fourth inning), going down the line, my right hip flexor kind of just tweaked,” Lux said. “Didn’t feel great. But, I mean, I wanted to stay in the game. I was fine to stay in the game, just as a precautionary thing, with a lefty going tomorrow, have a little extra time to get it recovered up.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Lux was “okay” Monday and would be available to pinch-hit if needed.
“I don’t see him coming in to play defense,” Roberts said. “Very fortunate that we have an off day tomorrow and we’ll see how Game 3 plays out.”
The Mets will start another left-hander, Jose Quintana, in this series. Lux will likely be out of the lineup in that game as well.
FREEMAN WORK
Before the NLCS started, Roberts indicated he might consider sitting All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman against the Mets’ left-handed starters as a way to keep him from playing back-to-back games on his injured ankle.
But Freeman was back in the starting lineup again for Game 2 even though it was a day game after a night game, giving him less recovery time.
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“We’ve got a tight window tomorrow,” Freeman said after Game 1. “It takes me about 4½ hours to get ready for a game. So me and Bernard Li (of the training staff) might be sleeping here tonight. But I’m getting used to it. I know what to expect day in and day out. It’s obviously not gonna get better, but I think we’re at a good point where it’s not going to get worse, unless I roll it again.”
The hours spent in treatment might have long-term benefits for Freeman’s vocabulary.
“Well, I started doing crosswords for the first time this year,” he said. “When I first came up, I envisioned that as older guys in the clubhouse doing crosswords.
“But believe me, it’s not me just laying there in comfort. When you’re getting pushed on with a sprained ankle, it’s not very comfortable. Doing a lot of exercises too, modalities, movements to kind of wake it up. I wish it was just laying there and them rubbing on me, but that’s usually not how it’s going.”