High expectations accompany Clayton Kershaw’s return to Dodgers

When he returns to the rotation on Thursday, after offseason shoulder surgery, he could offer a big boost to beleaguered staff.

LOS ANGELES – No longer viewed as a bonus addition when he returns to the roster, Clayton Kershaw’s 2024 debut on Thursday carries heavy expectations.

Manager Dave Roberts said late Saturday that Kershaw is ready to rejoin the rotation after offseason shoulder surgery. On Sunday, Roberts said he was confident that Kershaw would be able to rise to the occasion and deliver steady outings for a staff that needs some stability.

Kershaw’s track record suggests he will be just fine. After all, he pitched with shoulder pain all season in 2023 and went 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA, which was a tick below his career 2.48 ERA that he will ride into the Hall of Fame one day. The workload finally caught up to him in the playoffs.

“I just feel like we’re going to get the same guy, I really do,” Roberts said Sunday in a nod to Kershaw’s stellar career. “And just in talking to Clayton, as far as how much better he feels … for him to be pain free and building up his strength, I just don’t see why there wouldn’t be an uptick in his stuff. And then you get the (elite) player and it should bleed into performance.”

That would be huge for a staff that used rookies Gavin Stone and Justin Wrobleski as starters to open the second half. Another rookie, Landon Knack, has seven starts and is set to pitch again Tuesday, while Brent Honeywell came off the waiver wire to make a start just before the All-Star break.

Yet, just because there is a pressing need does not mean that Kershaw is back to throwing 100 pitches and working into the seventh inning. Far from it.

But with Tyler Glasnow’s own return from a back strain on Wednesday, along with the emergence of Stone and James Paxton’s steady outings, the bullpen figures to be able to cover what Kershaw does not.

“Yeah, we’re going to keep an eye on him while still appreciating that the most important part is getting him built up and getting him ready for October,” Roberts said.

Kershaw will get more freedom three or four starts into his return, Roberts admitted.

“Having Clayton come back, he was going to be just kind of additive and you’re trying to figure out where he’s going to be penciled in,” Roberts said. “But it just never fails with baseball that injuries happen and there’s always an opportunity. So this is certainly a place of need now.”

HEY THERE

In addition to Glasnow and Kershaw returning later in the week, the outfield got a boost after Jason Heyward was activated from the injured list. James Outman was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room on the roster.

Heyward, who had been out since July 4 with a left knee bone bruise, got the start in right field Sunday and was in the No. 7 spot of the lineup. He entered batting .203 this season with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 42 games.

HIGH HOPES

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto still has plans for returning this season from a rotator cuff strain, and while he did throw from 200 feet Sunday, there remains no timetable for taking the mound in a game again.

“I do have some frustration, but I just need to be focusing on rehab,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “I need to get myself ready to go back.”

Asked the earliest he might be able to return if his rehab goes to plan, Yamamoto said, ‘I’m not sure.”

Signed to the largest free-agent contract ever for a pitcher at 12 years and $325 million, Yamamoto was 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts before he went on the IL June 16.

ALSO

Right-handers Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) and Michael Grove (lat) each were scheduled to pitch for Oklahoma City on Sunday as the bullpen moved closer to getting its own boost. … Right-hander Walker Buehler (hip) is expected to return to Los Angeles and throw from a mound Tuesday, with a live batting practice session possible. … Shohei Ohtani played catch in the outfield before Sunday’s game as he continues to progress toward pitching again in 2025. … While the Dodgers have not named a starter for Monday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants, right-hander River Ryan remains a possibility to make his major league debut.

UP NEXT

Giants (LHP Blake Snell 0-3, 6.31 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), Monday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570-AM