The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a strong start to the 2024 MLB season despite dealing with numerous injuries. Several Dodgers pitchers, including Walker Buehler, Emmett Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw, have all been significantly affected by pitching disorders. Nevertheless, updates on Kershaw’s recovery will excite LA fans.
According to AM 570 LA Sports, Kershaw’s rehabilitation from a shoulder injury is “trend[ing]upwards.”
In November 2023, Kershaw underwent surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligament and joint capsule in his left shoulder. It was the first surgery he had on his pitching arm. Before that, Kershaw was sidelined for six weeks in July and August due to discomfort in his shoulder. Still, he played until the end of the season.
Unfortunately, Kershaw’s poor performance seemed to have a major impact on his postseason performance. He gave up six runs while recording one out in Game 1 of the National League Finals against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kershaw’s poor performance didn’t end there, as he and the Dodgers suffered a shocking and thrashing defeat, bringing an early end to their playoff hopes.
If Clayton Kershaw returns fully healthy from his injury, he will be a great addition to Los Angeles’ pitching core. According to ESPN, the 35-year-old boasts a 13-5 WL record in 2023, good enough for 13th in the league. Additionally, Kershaw posted a 2.46 ERA, 137 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP. Of course, Kershaw will have a strong ally.
Tyler Glasnow has led the Dodgers pitching staff with respectable performances through the first half of the 2024 season. The former Tampa Bay Rays right-hander is 6-2 so far in 2024 with a league-leading 81 strikeouts. Additionally, his 0.90 WHIP is fifth in the league.
The Dodgers need all they can get from Glasnow with an injury-riddled pitching staff.
Dodgers continue to thrive despite being slightly short-staffed
Los Angeles is in first place in the National League West with 33 wins and 18 losses. The team lost the first series in late May against the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-2, but had two other promising series that month. First, the team won two of the three games against the San Francisco Giants. Later, the Los Angeles team achieved the same result in consecutive games against the Cincinnati Reds.
Second-year major league pitcher Emmett Sheehan is rooting for his team to continue its success despite the serious injury updates.
Sheehan underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-May and faces a year or more of rehabilitation, and the right-hander spoke to reporters about the injury, emphasizing how disappointing it was to deal with.
“It’s very frustrating,” Sheehan said Monday, according to the Orange Country Register. “Obviously being on a team like this, it’s really great to be able to play with those guys and it’s a great opportunity to be able to play with those guys and I was looking forward to it. But I’m not really thinking about it right now. I’m just kind of just trying to move on to the next thing and progress and get better and stay healthy for next year.”
Sheehan can count on other stars in Los Angeles to carry the team in his absence.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how the Dodgers fare as we close out the month of May.
