Free Agent Clayton Kershaw To Miss Opening Day 2024 Due To Career-Threatening Shoulder Injury

Ex-Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been plagued by injuries and back issues since the beginning of this season. The team performed remarkably throughout the regular season, only to choke in October. The pitcher was one of the main troublemakers, however unintentionally.

With a 2.46 ERA from 24+ starts in his 16 season in the MLB this year, the veteran’s baseball future may be in trouble. Today, he posted a photo on a social media platform, announcing surgery on his left shoulder.

A heavy price to pay for Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw took to Instagram to post a picture of the details of the surgery. It stated his imminent time off, describing the surgery on his glenohumeral ligaments and the capsule of his left shoulder. The surgery was performed by Dr. Elattrache, the head team physician of the Los Angeles Dodgers team. The implications of the procedure are not good for the 35-year-old.

Clayton stated that he is “hopeful to return to play at some point next summer”. This indicates that he will not be there at the season’s opening in 2024. It is unsure whether fans will see him throughout the rest of the season as well.

Apparently, Kershaw mentioned the possibility of further examinations on his shoulder to some reporters in Arizona after the end of the Dodgers season. This year, he already missed six weeks during July and August for an injury that the Dodgers tagged as “shoulder inflammation”. Since his return, he has been treated with kid gloves and has been given rest at every chance he gets. He took a six-day rest in his last five starts, which included NLCS Game 1.

A player’s dilemma

2023 saw a disappointing start in the pitcher’s career after his performance in NLDS Game 1. The Diamondbacks hit four homers and ousted opener Clayton Kershaw in just 0.1 innings. According to an ESPN statistic, “Clayton Kershaw is the first starting pitcher in MLB postseason history to allow 5 hits and 5 runs before recording an out.” The pitcher surrendered six runs, striking out just one batter in his last game. USA Today marked it as the worst game in his 16-year Hall of Fame career in both regular and postseason forms.

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Given the weight of the incidents going on in the pitcher’s life right now, it will be enough to see him return by the end of this season or the beginning of the next; that is if he returns at all. Fans will be praying for a healthy recovery and return of The Claw, regardless of the team he chooses to play next with.

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