Clayton Kershaw will take his first official step toward joining the Los Angeles Dodgers next week, though there will still be a long wait before can suit up for the MLB team.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday that Kershaw will start a rehab assignment next Wednesday, more than a month before the team is allowed to activate him to its active roster on May 17.
Kershaw re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $7.5 million contract last offseason and was placed on the 60-day injured list in spring training, as expected. The three-time Cy Young Award winner underwent surgeries on his left foot and knee after the 2024 season, leaving his 2025 return timetable hazy.
Minor league rehab assignments are only allowed to go for 30 days with pitchers before teams are forced to either add them to the 26-man roster or withdraw them. If Kershaw's rehab assignment starts April 16, that would line up well with him coming back right around his eligibility date.
Kershaw made only two starts last season due to shoulder surgery rehab and the knee and toe injuries that required surgery, but he was still able to celebrate a World Series title with his teammates. He joined the Dodgers this season as a luxury, as the team already had one of the stacked rotations even with a considerable amount of players still making their way back from injury.
Tony Gonsolin, returning from Tommy John surgery, will make a rehab start a day before Kershaw on Tuesday and Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers debut as a pitcher is still looming, with an even hazier timetable than Kershaw's. The Dodgers are also
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