Kershaw hopeful following surgery
Left-hander undergoes procedure on shoulder
He's not done yet. Clayton Kershaw announced that he underwent surgery on his pitching shoulder on Friday morning but hopes to pitch again “at some point next summer.”
Kershaw's post on Instagram described it as a procedure to “repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule” in his shoulder. Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery.
There are three glenohumeral ligaments in the shoulder which give the joint stability. Depending on the complexity of the repair performed by Dr. ElAttrache, Kershaw could begin a throwing program as soon as three months after surgery and return to a mound in six months. The 35-year-old left-hander made no mention of a recovery timetable in his post.
Kershaw pitched with an unspecified shoulder injury for the final two months of last season after spending six weeks on the injured list at midseason. His fastball velocity dipped in the final month and his start in the Dodgers' National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks was the worst of Kershaw's major-league career. He faced eight batters and retired only one, giving up six runs on six hits and a walk.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner has battled back issues and other injuries in recent years, but he was effective during the regular season, going 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 24 starts (131⅔ innings). The number of starts and innings pitched were Kershaw's highest totals since the 2019 season and led the Dodgers, whose
rotation was decimated by injuries and Julio Urias' off-field issues.
Kershaw has signed one-year contracts each of the past two seasons, postponing his decision about retirement until after each season. He played his 16th season on a $20 million contract. After the Dodgers were eliminated by the Diamondbacks, Kershaw responded “I'm not sure” to questions about his future. Friday's Instagram post seems to clearly indicate he intends to continue his career next year — even if he can only return for a portion of the 2024 season.
Kershaw is currently a free agent and is unlikely to sign with anyone but the Dodgers or the Texas Rangers. The Dallas native has expressed an interest in pitching for his hometown team in the past.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after the end of the season that the team “absolutely” wants to re-sign Kershaw if he decides he wants to play in 2024.
LYNN'S CLUB OPTION WILL BE DECLINED ❯❯ The Dodgers plan to decline the club option in veteran righthander Lance Lynn's contract.
Acquired from the Chicago White Sox shortly before the trade deadline, the Dodgers will pay Lynn a $1 million buyout rather than exercise an option that would bring him back at an $18 million salary in 2024, a source confirmed. The 36-year-old Lynn will become a free agent after having played for six teams in a 12-year career.
Lynn finished the 2023 season with a 13-11 record and a career-high 5.73 ERA. He was better for the Dodgers after being acquired from the White Sox along with reliever Joe Kelly in exchange for outfielder Trayce Thompson and minor-leaguers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure. After going 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA in 21 starts with the White Sox, Lynn was 7-2 with a 4.36 ERA in 11 starts with the Dodgers.
The common theme at both stops, though, was home runs. Lynn allowed an MLB-high 44 home runs in 2023 — 28 with the White Sox and 16 with the Dodgers. Only four pitchers have given up more home runs in a season (Bert Blyleven did it twice), none since Bronson Arroyo gave up 46 with the Cincinnati Reds in 2011.
That trend continued in the postseason when Lynn became the first pitcher in MLB history to give up four home runs in one inning of a postseason game.
A two-time All-Star (with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 and the White Sox in 2021), Lynn has a career record of 136-95 with a 3.74 ERA.