March 14th, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka When it was announced that the Dodgers had re-signed soon-to-be (on March 19) 34-year-old future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw and after a collective sigh of relief heard round the world, the very first question on the mind of every Dodgers fan was: ‘Is he healthy?‘
The answer is a resounding yes.
“I feel a hundred percent health-wise,” the Dodgers ace told reporters on Day-1 of Spring Training 2022 at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ on Sunday morning. “I didn’t pick up a ball for a long time. I didn’t pick up a ball until January 1. I haven’t done that in a long, long time.”
And then there was that 99-day-long MLB lockout thing which every living soul on the planet absolutely hated. Everyone except Clayton Kershaw, that is.
“The lockout was honestly a blessing for my wife and I honestly,” Kershaw said somewhat sheepishly. “Just selfishly to be able to make sure that my elbow was okay.”
But hands-down, the biggest question among the Dodgers faithful – the one that caused many a sleepless night for them – was whether Kershaw would choose to sign with the Texas Rangers to be closer to his Dallas home or re-sign with the only team he has ever played for – the one that selected him in the first round of the 2006 MLB draft out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX.
“Once I got healthy, it was no secret we were either going to play in Texas or stay here,” Kershaw explained. “That was a hard phone call, to tell C.Y. (Rangers General Manager Chris Young), I’m a good friend of C.Y., and I think the world of him and I think he’s going to do great things in Texas. But at the end of the day, I wanted to be here and win a World Series, and I think the Dodgers give me the best chance to do that, and I’m excited to be back.”
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
But with an abbreviated Spring Training and coming off significant elbow and forearm injuries, will the guy who has made nine Opening Day starts for the Dodgers over his (thus far) 14 Major League seasons be ready to make his 10th?
“I think so,” Kershaw answered. “I mean, I think if you look at the schedule, if I throw one inning tomorrow and go up one inning for five days, I think it’s pretty close, so we’ll see. But either way, I should be ready around then. I should be okay.”
Sleep well, Dodgers fans.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
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Opens the door for Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers
I’d LOVE to see Kersh be the Opening Day starter for the 10th time. He’s THE franchise icon for most fans as most fans don’t remember Koufax as an active pitcher anymore. Hell, that’s why they re-signed him, right?
BUT, I also fear he will go down with arm troubles again. Has anyone ever seen platelet rich injections work long term? Yeah, me either.
I, too, would love to see Kershaw get number 10, even if only for an inning or two. That said, I would not be the least bit surprised if it is Buehler who gets the Opening Day start, with Kersh possibly getting the Home Opener start.
Buehler is now the ace of the Dodgers pitching staff, he should be the opening day starter.
I agree.
That being said, if Kershaw has an over-the-top Spring, I can see Roberts using him in an ‘opener’ role (i.e., going only one or two innings) on Opening Day.
Say what you will about Doc, he is very mindful of tradition and what is at stake here.
Stay tuned…
If Kershaw has a great spring, you can bet Roberts will give the start to Kershaw. I will still go with Buehler.