Clayton Kershaw's Baseball Career Over After Being Removed from USA Baseball's WBC Roster

Clayton Kershaw's baseball career is now officially over after he was removed from Team USA's roster at the World Baseball Classic.

The U.S. team announced on Saturday that Kershaw has been replaced on the pitching staff by Jeff Hoffman heading into its semifinal matchup with the Dominican Republic.

Saturday's move marks the fourth change to the pitching staff for Team USA since pool play ended.

The team swapped out Tarik Skubal, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough for Will Vest, Tyler Rogers, and Tim Hill on Thursday leading up to the quarterfinal game against Canada.

Hoffman will join the U.S. for Sunday's matchup against the Dominican Republic with the winner advancing to the championship game.

Kershaw's inclusion on the roster was always meant to be more a gesture of goodwill for arguably the best pitcher of his generation than making him a key player for the U.S. in its quest to win the WBC.

His professional baseball career nearly entirely overlaps with the history of the World Baseball Classic. The first WBC tournament took place in March 2006, three months before he was selected with the No. 7 overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB draft.

Kershaw intended to play for the United States in 2023, but he had to withdraw prior to the tournament reportedly due to insurance issues. The three-time NL Cy Young winner missed time due to injuries in both 2021 and 2022, appearing in 46 games combined over those two seasons.

When Team USA officially added him to the roster in January, Kershaw even indicated that he might not appear in a game:

"I just want to be the insurance policy, you know, if anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don't need me to pitch at all, I'm just there to be there. I just want to be part of this group. I learned a long time ago, you just want to be a part of great things, and this team seems like a really fun, awesome group."

Kershaw did make one appearance for the United States in an exhibition against the Colorado Rockies on March 4.

Mickey Moniak, a former No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, will have the distinction of hitting the last homer Kershaw allowed in his career. He took him deep for a two-run shot in the fourth inning of Team USA's 14-4 win over Colorado.

The closest Kershaw came to getting into a game during the actual tournament was on Tuesday when he was warming up in the bullpen during the eighth inning of America's 8-6 loss to Italy.

With the door now officially shut on Kershaw's career, the countdown is on for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He seems like a safe bet to be voted in on his first year on the ballot in 2031.

Kershaw's ended his MLB career with a 223-96 record and a 2.53 ERA in 455 games. He spent his entire 18-year with the Dodgers, winning World Series titles in 2020, 2024 and 2025.