Clayton Kershaw is feeling grateful as he prepares for his 18th season debut with the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation is wracked by injuries and having trouble pitching deep into games. Enter Clayton Kershaw.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner begins his 18th season with the franchise on Saturday, taking the mound for the first time in nearly nine months against the Los Angeles Angels.

“I don’t take it for granted I get to go out there and pitch at Dodger Stadium,” the 37-year-old left-hander said Thursday. “It’ll be exciting to get back out there.

“Unfortunately, it comes at a time when we do need some starters.”

Blake Snell (left shoulder inflammation) and Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder inflammation) are on the injured list with no timetable to return. Rookie Roki Sasaki joined them this week with a right shoulder impingement.

The team’s starters have pitched just 192 1/3 innings this season, fewest in the majors.

Kershaw joins a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Landon Knack.

He’s been on the 60-day injured list after having surgeries on his left knee and left big toe in November. He went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts before injuries derailed him last season.

In preparation for his first start with the Dodgers since Aug. 30, 2024, Kershaw made five rehab starts, including last weekend when he allowed two runs and two hits in four innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

“When you stop worrying about feeling bad and you start worrying about performance, that’s kind of when you know you’ve turned the corner,” he said. “Those last few rehab starts I was more concerned about throwing well and getting guys out than I was how my foot felt. I think that was a good sign for me physically.”

Kershaw will tie Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most years with the Dodgers franchise when he starts this weekend. He and Russell are the only players to log 18 seasons since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Kershaw is the longest-tenured player on the current roster.

“Just getting back out on the mound is a big first step and then it’s the rest of the season,” he said.

Kershaw is 32 strikeouts from reaching 3,000 to go with his 212 career wins.

“I’ve thought about Saturday a lot,” he said. “I haven’t really thought about that a whole lot.”

He’s also been thinking about backup catcher Austin Barnes, who was cut Wednesday. One of Kershaw’s best friends on and off the field, Barnes was part of two World Series championship teams and was the longest-tenured position player on the roster. The Dodgers called up 24-year-old Dalton Rushing, who started Thursday.

“I think everybody was surprised. It’s sad to see someone like that go,” Kershaw said. “It’s no disrespect to Dalton. I know he deserves it. He’s going to be a great player.”

Mostly, Kershaw has been smiling this week, enjoying being back with his teammates instead of just watching them on TV.

“When you haven’t done something for a long time and you realize that you miss it, you miss competing and you miss being part of the team and contributing, there’s a lot of gratitude and gratefulness to get back,” he said.

But it’s also about performance for the pitcher known for being meticulous and detail-oriented in his preparation.

“If I go out there and don’t pitch good, it’s going to go away real fast,” he said. “Somebody’ll tell me to retire at some point.”

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