Clayton Kershaw: Undergoes shoulder surgery

Kershaw underwent surgery Friday to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw broke the news himself on Instagram and added that he is "hopeful to return to play at some point next summer." It's a vague timetable for the 35-year-old southpaw as he enters free agency, but at the very least this would seem to indicate he plans to continue his career rather than retire. Kershaw was effective when healthy in 2023, posting a 2.46 ERA over 24 starts, but his stuff was noticeably down late in the year, and he recorded just one out in his lone postseason outing. He's facing a long rehab and uncertainty in regard to how effective he might be if he does indeed make it back next season.