Dodgers’ Kershaw to return in ’25, ‘give it a go’

LOS ANGELES — Injured Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw plans to return for another season in 2025, he said Monday.

“I had some tough luck with my toe this year but I want to make use of this surgery,” Kershaw told Fox prior to Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. “I don’t want to have surgery and then shut it down. So I’m going to come back next year and give it a go. See how it goes.”

The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and former NL MVP will not appear for the Dodgers this postseason because of troublesome bone spurs in his left big toe. He appeared in just seven games during the regular season, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA after undergoing shoulder surgery after the 2023 season.

The surgery delayed Kershaw’s 2024 debut until July 25 and played a key role in his decision to return.

“My shoulder feels great, back feels great, all that stuff,” Kershaw said before the NL Divisional Series against San Diego. “I don’t know. Obviously, I don’t want to keep getting hurt all the time. It’s not fun to do that. But I also really love to pitch too.”

Kershaw ranks second on the Dodgers’ all-time wins list with 212 and is the club’s all-time leader with 2,968 strikeouts — just 32 shy of 3,000.

His contract includes a player option for 2025 at a base value of $5 million and includes a number of incentives that, if achieved, could net Kershaw as much as an additional $20 million.