Clayton Kershaw returns to Dodgers as a Special Assistant
Fredo Cervantes
Host · Writer
LOS ANGELES – There was a time when Clayton Kershaw controlled the tempo of a game with a slow walk to the mound and a glance in for the sign. On Thursday night, just steps from that same dugout he once owned, he controlled something else entirely — the conversation.
Kershaw made his broadcasting debut on NBC and Peacock as the Los Angeles Dodgers handled the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8–2. The headset looked natural on him. So did the perspective.
“I had a good time, it was fun doing it,” Kershaw said, sounding less like a future Hall of Famer trying something new and more like a veteran already comfortable in his second act.
That second act, as it turns out, will have layers.
Kershaw isn’t disappearing into retirement. Not fully. Not from this organization. Not from this game.
While his NBC appearance was a one-off — at least until August — it offered a glimpse into one lane of his post-playing life. The other became official just a day later: Kershaw is returning to the Dodgers as a special assistant to the front office, working alongside president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes.
“I think I’ll be involved somehow,” Kershaw said. “Probably not physically here in L.A., but definitely for sure I’ll watch games. I still want to be part of the Dodgers.”
It’s a fitting evolution. Kershaw was never just an ace — he was an institutional figure. For more than a decade, he defined the Dodgers’ standard, their tone, their accountability. Now, he transitions into something less visible but potentially just as impactful: a voice in the room.
Not in uniform. Not in the dugout. But present.
And make no mistake — that distinction matters to him.
“I’m not coaching,” he said plainly. “I’m going to watch.”
That line tells you everything about how Kershaw views this phase. He isn’t chasing the adrenaline of competition anymore. He isn’t flirting with a comeback, even as the Dodgers open a season with championship expectations and the backdrop of a World Series ring ceremony.
“No, no I have no interest in playing,” he said. “I like being around everybody.”
There was a moment during batting practice Friday that said more than any quote could. Kershaw, bat in hand, casually took a few swings in the open. Later, he stood behind home plate, scanning the stadium. Not as a pitcher preparing for his next start — just as someone remembering.
He insists he doesn’t miss the game.
“I don’t miss the game at all,” Kershaw said. “I just miss the people.”
Maybe that’s the truest version of retirement any athlete can reach — not longing for the grind, but still feeling the pull of the clubhouse.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw talks to the media prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
For Kershaw, that pull is now answered in a different way. A broadcast here. A front office conversation there. A presence that doesn’t require a five-day routine or a radar gun.
“There’s some freedom with retirement,” he admitted. “If you don’t want to work out, you don’t have to. If your back hurts, it doesn’t matter.”
For the first time in years, Kershaw’s schedule won’t revolve around pitch counts, rehab timelines, or October readiness. The World Baseball Classic had delayed that feeling — even in what was technically his offseason, there was still preparation, still purpose tied to performance.
Now, with the 2026 season underway, that structure is gone.
What replaces it is something quieter, but no less meaningful: perspective.
The Dodgers don’t get Kershaw the pitcher anymore. That chapter is closed, by his own choice and with full clarity.
But they do get Kershaw the observer. The advisor. The institutional voice who understands exactly what it means to wear that uniform — and what it takes to win in it.
And every now and then, they might get Kershaw the broadcaster, smiling into a headset, reminding everyone that even legends can find new ways to stay close to the game.
