Clayton Kershaw announced Friday that he underwent surgery on his left throwing shoulder and is hoping for a potential 2024 return.
“This morning I underwent a surgical procedure to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule of my left shoulder,” Kershaw wrote in an Instagram post. “I am thankful for the expertise of Dr. ElAttrache who performed the surgery. I am hopeful to return to play at some point next summer. Thanks for your prayers!”
The longtime Dodgers ace and current free agent had previously hinted at a potential retirement after the 2023 season.
Kershaw has been tormented by injuries in recent years.
The 35-year-old southpaw missed six weeks in 2023 with shoulder inflammation and has been plagued with persistent back problems since 2016. He has yet to play a fully healthy season since 2015.
He posted a 2.46 ERA with 137 strikeouts across 24 starts this season, his 16th in the big leagues.
Kershaw, a likely future Hall of Famer, has won 210 games with a 2.48 ERA and 2944 strikeouts through his storied career.
A ten-time All-Star, Kershaw has won the National League Cy Young Award three times, including the NL MVP Award during his historic 2014 season.
The postseason, however, has been filled with more downs than ups.
Kershaw is 13-13 with a 4.49 ERA in 39 career postseason games (32 starts).
During Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, Kershaw had perhaps the worst outing of his professional career.
The left-hander allowed six earned runs on six hits over eight batters while getting just one out before getting pulled by manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers were eventually swept by the Diamondbacks, who went on to lose to the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
Despite yet another year with sparkling numbers, there were signs Kershaw’s career may be on the decline.
His 4.03 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) was the highest since his rookie season in 2008.
In September, Kershaw averaged just 88.6 MPH on his fastball, the lowest average fastball velocity in a single month throughout his career.
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