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Dodgers Get Good News on Injured Starting Pitcher

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Clayton Kershaw made his first rehab start on Wednesday, and it was everything the Los Angeles Dodgers could have hoped for.

The 37-year-old legend began the season on the 60-day injured list while recovering from offseason knee and toe surgeries and finally took to the mound for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Kershaw went three innings with no runs allowed on two hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. He also threw strikes on 22 of his 30 pitches. He will be eligible to return in late May, however, it is not clear if he will immediately rejoin the Dodgers.

The rotation boasts Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow, all of whom are guaranteed starting opportunities until further notice. Plus, Los Angeles should have a healthy Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin back well before Kershaw, as both of them are on the 15-day injured list.

That’s not even including Dustin May, who has been stellar so far, and youngsters like Landon Knack, Bobby Miller, and Justin Wrobleski. None of those latter three will conceivably take Kershaw’s spot, but they represent the ridiculous depth in this organization.

Oh, and there’s also Shohei Ohtani, who is not expected to pitch anytime soon but adds another layer to this potentially historically dominant staff.

Whenever Kershaw does pitch for the Dodgers, all eyes will be on his impending strikeout milestone. At 2,968 for his career, he is just 32 K’s away from the coveted 3,000 club, of which only two active pitchers are members (Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer). It will not be long before Kershaw becomes number three.

But first, he needs to progress through his rehab assignment.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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