Kershaw set for Triple-A rehab start on Wednesday

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers are inching closer to getting left-hander Clayton Kershaw back, as he's set to take a big step in his recovery from multiple offseason surgeries.

Kershaw is scheduled to throw around two innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City in Wednesday's game against the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners’ Triple-A club, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark at 12:05 p.m. ET/9:05 a.m. PT.

Wednesday's contest has been selected as MiLB.com's Free Game of the Day, meaning fans can watch Kershaw's start free on MLB.TV and MLB.com as well as on the MLB Pipeline and MiLB homepages.

The rehab outing will mark Kershaw’s first organized game action since his abbreviated outing against the D-backs on Aug. 30, 2024. The star southpaw left that game in the second inning due to pain in his left big toe. He ultimately missed the remainder of the season, including the Dodgers’ run to a World Series title. He underwent operations on that toe and his left knee in November.

"It's kind of a weird needle to thread, because physically, my arm is ready to go. I'm ready," Kershaw said last week. "But my toe isn't all the way there yet. Whenever my toe finally is strong enough to be out there, I want to be ready."

The toe has impacted Kershaw most on the final push-off in his delivery, which he's noticed most when trying to get that "last little bit of life" on his pitches. The 37-year-old has been steadily progressing and felt better in his last session facing live hitters.

"There was an uptick in his velocity his last turn," manager Dave Roberts said. "That’s kind of the final piece, getting that toe, that last final push-off toward the plate, in a good spot."

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is entering his 18th Major League season -- all with the Dodgers -- and is just 32 strikeouts short of 3,000. Kershaw is on the 60-day injured list, and even though he's taking this step forward now, he's not necessarily expected to be activated as soon as he's eligible in late May.