Clayton Kershaw injury: What comes next for him and Dodgers?

When Clayton Kershaw walked off the mound with an injury after just 42 pitches on Friday night, it sprouted a whole litany of questions about this season and beyond for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here’s what Clayton Kershaw’s injury could mean for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Kershaw walked off the mound with two outs in the second inning of Friday night’s home game against the Milwaukee Brewers. With the 33-year-old southpaw set to be a free agent at the end of the season, there are plenty wondering if Kershaw’s last pitch against the Brewers will be his last pitch wearing a Dodgers uniform.

It’s been an injury-riddled season for Kershaw, who landed on the 60-day disabled list on August 9 with left elbow inflammation. Activated on September 13, Kershaw made three starts prior to Friday night, logging a 3.29 ERA and 3.16 FIP in 13.2 innings.

He’s proven to be valuable in his return as the Dodgers chased the San Francisco Giants for the NL West lead. However, Friday night was a different story. Before leaving with the injury, Kershaw’s velocity on his fastball hadn’t even topped 90 mph. The Brewers, meanwhile, per MLB.com, had five batted balls with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher as they quickly took a 3-1 lead.

At press time, Kershaw’s injury was unknown as was the severity of it. With the injury coming on October 1, however, it’s logical to think that he may be in danger of missing some time in the postseason should the Dodgers make a run past the NL Wild Card game (if Los Angeles can’t catch San Francisco in the standings).

Since making his Major League debut on May 25, 2008, Kershaw has become a fixture at Chavez Ravine. An eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Kershaw has set the bar high for pitchers, not only in Los Angeles but throughout the league.

Kershaw stated before the season that he had no desire to retire after this season, but he and the Dodgers have reportedly not entered into any talks of a contract extension. Injuries at the end of the 2021 season could force Kershaw to test the free agent market and see if the Dodgers would be willing to bring him back on a short-term deal.

We will update the story below as soon as information on Kershaw’s injury becomes available.

UPDATE: Kershaw is reportedly out of the game because of left forearm discomfort.

Kershaw also acknowledged that things aren’t looking good for a postseason return.