One of the biggest storylines from the Dodgers' offseason was the status of veteran left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw announced earlier in the winter that he would be having surgery to repair his shoulder injury, mentioning his desire to continue his career.
There was thought that he could leave the team in free agency to join his hometown Texas Rangers or even retire if the surgery was too complicated. However, we now know that Kershaw will indeed be returning to the Dodgers for his 17th MLB season.
He revealed why he returned to Los Angeles and how difficult of a decision it was for him.
“I went home and the season, the way it ended especially for our team and for me personally, wasn’t fun at all. A lot of doubts, a lot of different things and just really had to sit back on, if I wanted to do this it became pretty evident that I had to fix it and get surgery.“
Throughout his career, Kershaw had never been forced to have surgery like this, so it was a big decision for him. He still has a desire to play the game of baseball at a high level, which is what led to him choosing to go the surgery route.
Kershaw also revealed that he didn't want to go out with the lasting image of himself getting roughed up in the postseason game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He mentioned that it was a driving force in his decision to return to Los Angeles.
“Didn’t want to go out that way,” Kershaw said. “I think that was ultimately how I came to it.”
Fans are excited that Kershaw is back, and he does have a player option for 2025 on his deal. We won't see Kershaw suit up until late July at the earliest, but fans are just happy that he is back where he belongs.
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