Report: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers Agree to Contract for Star’s 17th MLB Season

The lefty will start the season on the IL as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a contract for the 2024 season, Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of The New York Post report.

Kershaw will start the season on the injured list as he recovers from shoulder surgery that he had in early November. The 35-year-old is expected to miss the first half of the season as he said after the surgery that his return date will be “some point next summer.”

Los Angeles will report to spring training on Thursday, which is when the team can place Kershaw on the 60-day IL to clear his 40-man roster spot.

This year will mark Kershaw’s 17th season with the Dodgers. So far, he has spent his entire career with the organization. Last year, Kershaw pitched in 24 games while battling injuries, but still accumulated a 2.46 ERA on the season.

The Dodgers rotation will feature a few players dealing with injuries, including Walker Buehler coming off Tommy John surgery and James Paxton who’s battled injuries throughout his career. However, the team will feature many big names, as Kershaw could join Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman when he returns.