Clayton Kershaw may be done with Major League Baseball, but as the World Baseball Classic nears, the greatest left-hander of our generation has one more box to tick. For the first time in his career, Kershaw will represent the United States of America in the World Baseball Classic, and in preparation for that assignment, Kershaw took the field at Papago Sports Complex in Arizona as part of a team workout.
Speaking to the media, Kershaw displayed a self-awareness of his current limitations: “I think for our country’s sake, it’s better if I don’t,” he said of a potential matchup with Shohei Ohtani. However, the competitor in him remains: “I can’t imagine, if it comes down to USA versus Japan, with the arms that we have, that I’ll be needed. But I’ll be ready.”
Kershaw’s importance to the US team may be more important than originally thought, as Bill Shaikin of the LA Times notes: what looked to be a stout rotation for the US team is taking several blows—Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, and Paul Skenes will all have certain limitations about how often they can pitch in this tournament—the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young will only pitch once, for instance.
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MLB even published a small clip of Kershaw warming up wearing the American colors.
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Kershaw made an appearance on the Pat McAfee show as well, in which he discussed the process of his retirement. The left-hander emphasized the gradual decline of his fastball velocity, the challenges of rehabbing from surgeries, and the eventual realization that it was time to call it quits at the end of 2025.
Continuing the World Baseball Classic theme—despite being currently sidelined recovering from surgery—Kiké Hernández will soon leave the Dodgers facilities to join the Puerto Rico team, reports Jack Harris, who also notes Kyle Tucker’s current absence from Dodger camp, as he and his wife are expecting a child. Lastly, according to Harris, Tommy Edman has already started taking swings, a promising sign in his rehab, although he is unlikely to feature in any games this spring.
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