Clayton Kershaw Won't Be On Dodgers' Wild Card Roster in 2025 MLB Playoffs

Clayton Kershaw is the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers' for Sunday's finale against the Seattle Mariners, but it might be his final appearance of the season.

Manager Dave Roberts is leaving Kershaw off the roster for the team's Wild Card Round series this week, per the Associated Press.

The 37-year-old Kershaw played a big role for the Dodgers this season after the team yet again dealt with a number of injuries in the rotation. Coming into Sunday he had made 21 starts, posting a 10-2 record with a 3.52 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 107.1 innings.

Come the postseason, the Dodgers will have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Shohei Ohtani as their likely starters, at least for the Wild Card Round, while Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan and even Roki Sasaki could be used out of the bullpen.

"I think that right now, where we're at, we want to go with our best," Roberts told reporters over the weekend. "However that looks, that's kind of the reason why we shortened Emmet, shortened Tyler [in recent starts]."

Given the array of starting arms the Dodgers have, it makes sense that Kershaw wouldn't be among the players asked to transition to a bullpen role.

If Sunday is indeed the final appearance of the retiring Kershaw's season, his next stop will be Cooperstown. The three-time Cy Young winner, one-time MVP, 11-time All-Star and two-time champion is a clear first-ballot Hall of Famer and was one of the finest pitchers of his generation.

The Dodgers needed him this season for perhaps a bigger role than expected, and he delivered. Now he'll turn over the reins to his teammates as the Dodgers seek a second straight title.