Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has made a habit in recent years of waiting until the offseason to decide whether he plans to add another season to his impressive resume.

This year, Kershaw made a decision early.

The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer told Fox Sports in a pregame interview Monday that he plans to play in 2025. Kershaw’s one-year contract includes a player option for next season.

“Obviously I’ve had some bad luck with my foot this year, but I want to take advantage of this (shoulder) surgery,” Kershaw said. “I don’t want to have surgery and then have to call it quits. I’ll come back next year and give it a try and see how it goes.”

Kershaw was ruled out of the postseason due to a bone spur in his left big toe. His season ended on August 30, when the Dodgers traveled to Phoenix to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in what many thought would be a preview of the postseason.

Instead, Kershaw left early in the second inning after a recurring toe injury resurfaced.

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That was Kershaw’s final appearance in a season that didn’t start until July, as Kershaw recovered from offseason surgery on his left shoulder.

Kershaw won the National League Cy Young Award in 2011, 2012 and 2014. He finished no worse than fifth in the 2011-2017 awards voting. He is a World Series champion, the 2014 NL MVP and a 10-time All-Star in 17 Major League seasons.

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Kershaw is 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA and 2,968 career strikeouts.

In February, Kershaw signed an incentive-laden contract that paid a base salary of $5 million in 2024 and an additional $5 million if he exercises his 2025 player option. Making seven starts, Kershaw increased his 2024 payout to $7.5 million and increased the value. of his 2025 option to $10 million.

Due to injuries to Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone and others, the Dodgers entered the postseason with perhaps less starting rotation depth than any team. But they used a bullpen game in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Padres, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto led a combined shutout to clinch the series in Game 5.

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In Game 1 of the NLCS, Jack Flaherty pitched seven shutout innings and the Dodgers extended their streak of consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason to 32, a record set nearly 60 years ago.

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