Dodgers' Dave Roberts Gets Honest on Clayton Kershaw's Potential Postseason Role

Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) is congratulated by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) after his 3000th career strike of Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra (41) in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw took over the MLB news cycle after announcing Thursday that he would be retiring after the season ends. All of the praise and accolades are warranted and then some, but there is still plenty of baseball left for Kershaw.

Not only does the three-time Cy Young winner and 2014 NL MVP have one more regular season start, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw will likely have a role on the team's postseason roster.

“Ultimately I don’t have the final say; it’s kind of a collection of conversations,” Roberts said. “But I just think that the person, the experience, and whatever role that he’s willing to take on is a positive. I don’t know what role … I still feel that there’s a role for him, a spot for him.”

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Roberts added that the Dodgers wouldn't be in first place in the NL West if not for what Kershaw has brought to the team this year. In his 18th season as a major leaguer, Kershaw has a 3.55 ERA and a 10-2 record as a starter.

However, despite Kershaw displaying this year that he is still a viable starter, the Dodgers have the luxury of employing an elite roster of starting pitchers.

Between Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers might not have the need for Kershaw to make any postseason starts. However, the 37-year-old could come in as a reliever for the first time since 2019 and for only the third time of his 18-year career.

Kershaw's most recent relief outing came in the 2019 National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, who beat the Dodgers and went on to win the World Series. Kershaw took over for Walker Buehler, who had given up just one run, in the seventh inning. In the eighth, Kershaw gave up back-to-back home runs to tie a game the Dodgers would eventually lose.

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While making the decision to retire weighed heavily on Kershaw, in his retirement speech, the pitcher said he hopes the Dodgers' focus on winning a World Series isn't hampered by his announcement.

"It's been such a fun year," Kershaw said in a press conference Thursday. "I’ve had such a blast with this group. I’ve had such a blast with all you guys. I can’t think of a better season to go out. And we still have a lot to accomplish, obviously, this month — and the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to anybody for accomplishing our ultimate goal — to win in the last game of the season. So we’re going to get through this today, and then we’re going to go win the rest of the games and be good."

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