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How Clayton Kershaw Did in His First 2025 Start in Triple-A

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 5:58 PM ET

Clayton Kershaw began the trek back to the Majors on April 16, as the Dodgers left-hander made his first rehab start as he recovers from left toe surgery. It wasn’t a bad outing for the 37-year-old, who continued trends seen from years past.

A Look at Kershaw

On paper, it wasn’t a bad outing. Clayton Kershaw, who officially returned to the organization in February after hitting the open market again, got through three innings for Oklahoma City (AAA) on April 16, as he threw 30 pitches for the Comets. Kershaw struck out two over those three innings and didn’t concede a walk or a run.

It was classic Kershaw in a sense. He didn’t lean much on the fastball, throwing either his four-seamer or two-seamer 33% of the time. Kershaw leaned much on the slider (40%), and he also broke out the slider or splitter.

KERSHAW PITCH MAP 04162025 SAVANT

And, the box score sometimes doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, a hit he gave up in the first was off the curveball and very well could have been an out had second baseman Austin Gauthier got to it.

Now, as far as velocity went, that remained down compared to past years. Kershaw’s hardest pitch thrown was an 89 MPH four-seamer thrown in the second inning. Aside from that, he sat roughly in the 87-88 MPH range during his first rehab start.

The 37-year-old averaged around 90 MPH with his fastball last season in what’s been a steady dip in velo over the years. He hit as low as 87 MPH during his last start of the 2024 season back on August 30.

Bonus

Kershaw wasn’t the only notable Dodger to rehab with Oklahoma City today. Reliever Evan Phillips made his sixth outing with the Comets this season as he recovers from a right rotator cuff strain.

Phillips struck out one over one scoreless frame. He threw mostly sweepers and cutters, as 10 of the 15 pitches thrown fit either category. The right-hander touched 96 MPH during the outing.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

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