Upon signing a three-year, $93 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw vowed he would use the offseason to recapture some of his diminished velocity and was motivated to silence his critics.
Kershaw was coming off a third consecutive season in which he required a stint on the injured list because of back trouble, and 2019 also saw the three-time Cy Young Award winner deal with left biceps tendinitis.
Kershaw’s string of back trouble began in 2014, as he was sidelined by a teres major strain after starting the season-opener in Australia.