Clayton Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star pitcher, has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the postseason due to ongoing issues with his left big toe. Manager Dave Roberts announced the decision prior to the Dodgers’ 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres in the first game of the National League Division Series.
Roberts stated, “We’re closing the door. Clayton has done everything he can to keep this moving forward and giving himself a chance to participate in the postseason. But where he’s at right now, physically, the foot, the toe just is not cooperating.”
Kershaw has been sidelined since late August when he was diagnosed with a bone spur in his toe after leaving a game early. He had previously undergone shoulder surgery in the offseason and made his season debut on July 25. Despite efforts to manage the pain, including adjustments to his footwear and keeping his arm active, Kershaw’s recovery hit a setback last week as the stress of compensating for the pain affected his overall performance.
“It’s been mentally exhausting to continue to try to pitch,” Kershaw remarked. “It just kept hurting, so I got another MRI. I made it worse, so there’s no point at this point to keep going. It’s unfortunate. Obviously, super frustrated. It’s not getting better, so I can’t pitch.”
In Kershaw’s absence, the Dodgers will rely on pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, and Landon Knack for the NLDS against the Padres, with Yamamoto and Flaherty taking the mound for the first two games. Notably, rookie right-hander Edgardo Henriquez was chosen over veteran Joe Kelly, who is dealing with a shoulder injury that prevents him from participating in the NL Championship Series if the team advances.
Following the postseason, Kershaw must consider the future of his career as he may need surgery on his toe. He holds a $5 million player option for the next season, potentially reaching up to $20 million in performance incentives.
“My shoulder feels great, back feels great, all that stuff,” Kershaw commented. “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. Just got to weigh everything and talk about it, figure it out.”