Clayton Kershaw Joins SportsNet LA Booth for Dodgers-Braves Opener

Clayton Kershaw spent nearly two decades giving Los Angeles Dodgers fans a reason to watch whenever he took the mound.

On Tuesday night, fans will get to hear the Dodgers legend from an entirely different vantage point.

Kershaw is set to make his SportsNet LA analyst debut during the Dodgers’ series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, joining play-by-play announcer Joe Davis in the broadcast booth. Kirsten Watson will handle her usual reporting duties for the telecast.

For Dodgers fans, it represents another opportunity to stay connected with one of the most important players in franchise history — only this time, instead of trying to overpower opposing hitters, Kershaw will be explaining what is happening on the field.

And he will have plenty to talk about.

The Dodgers open an important three-game series in Atlanta with Tyler Glasnow making his return from the injured list. Glasnow is scheduled to face Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, with first pitch set for 4:15 p.m. PT at Truist Park. SportsNet LA is among the networks carrying the game.

That gives Kershaw an especially fitting assignment for his first game as a SportsNet LA analyst.

Few people are better equipped to discuss the challenges of returning to a Major League rotation, preparing for postseason baseball or navigating the expectations that come with pitching for the Dodgers.

Kershaw’s Relationship With the Dodgers Continues After Retirement

Kershaw’s playing career ended after the 2025 season, but his connection with the organization has hardly disappeared.

The left-hander retired following an extraordinary 18-year Major League career spent entirely with the Dodgers. During that run, he won three National League Cy Young Awards, earned the 2014 NL MVP Award and was selected to 11 All-Star teams. He also surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts during his final season.

The Dodgers then brought Kershaw back into the organization as a special assistant in March.

At the time, Kershaw made clear that even though his days as an active player were finished, he still wanted to remain involved with the franchise and contribute where possible. The exact boundaries of that role were left flexible.

Tuesday’s broadcast provides another example of Kershaw remaining close to the organization and its fans.

It is also not his first experience in front of a television camera since retiring.

Earlier this year, NBC Sports added Kershaw to its MLB coverage alongside fellow recently retired stars Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo. NBC announced that Kershaw would contribute to select regular-season broadcasts and serve as a pregame analyst during the postseason Wild Card round.

He has already appeared on NBC’s baseball coverage, including an August Dodgers-Red Sox broadcast in which he contributed “Inside the Pitch” analysis.

Tuesday, however, brings him onto the Dodgers’ own television network in an analyst role for the first time.

Kershaw and Joe Davis Should Make for an Interesting Pairing

Dodgers viewers already know Joe Davis as one of baseball’s leading play-by-play voices.

Adding Kershaw alongside him creates a very different dynamic from a traditional broadcast pairing.

Kershaw has spent years inside Dodgers clubhouses, game-planning meetings and pitching routines. He has faced many of the pressures that current Los Angeles pitchers encounter and understands the organization from a perspective that cannot be replicated simply by studying statistics.

That does not mean Kershaw needs to turn every pitch into a technical lecture.

Some of the appeal will simply come from hearing how he sees the game.

What catches his attention when a pitcher begins losing command?

What does he notice about sequencing?

How does a veteran starter judge whether another pitcher has his best stuff on a particular night?

What does he see when Glasnow takes the mound for the first time after a lengthy absence?

Those are areas where Kershaw’s experience can add something unique to the telecast.

His familiarity with many members of the current Dodgers roster could also give viewers additional context without requiring him to speculate about conversations or information that should remain private.

The best former-player analysts are often those who can translate what they learned during their careers into explanations fans can easily understand.

Kershaw now gets an opportunity to do exactly that for the audience that watched most of his career.

Tyler Glasnow’s Return Gives Kershaw Plenty to Analyze

The timing of Kershaw’s appearance could hardly be better from a pitching perspective.

Glasnow was officially activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday and is making his first Major League start since May 6.

The right-hander enters the game having posted a 3-0 record and 2.72 ERA over his first seven starts of the season. His final rehabilitation outing was particularly encouraging, as he struck out nine over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

That makes Glasnow one of the biggest stories surrounding the Dodgers entering the night.

And Kershaw understands as well as anyone that returning from an injury involves more than looking at a radar-gun reading.

There is command to regain, timing to restore and the physical challenge of recovering after a full-intensity start.

Kershaw dealt with numerous injury interruptions during the later years of his career while continually finding ways to return and contribute to championship-caliber Dodgers teams.

He therefore brings relevant experience to a game in which much of the attention will be focused on how another prominent Dodgers starter looks after an extended layoff.

Kershaw does not have to predict what Glasnow will become by October.

He can simply help viewers understand what they are seeing Tuesday night.

The Game Itself Carries Added Weight

Kershaw is also stepping into the booth for something more significant than a low-pressure late-August matchup.

Los Angeles enters the series at 80-51, while Atlanta is 76-55. Both teams are positioned as serious National League postseason contenders, making their three meetings relevant to the race for playoff seeding.

The Dodgers are trying to strengthen their position for a first-round bye, while Atlanta is attempting to close the distance.

That should give Tuesday’s broadcast a competitive atmosphere that feels more substantial than the date alone might suggest.

Kershaw knows that environment well.

He pitched in countless meaningful games during his Dodgers career, including division races and postseasons in which virtually every decision received intense scrutiny.

Now he gets to watch one from the booth.

That change in perspective could be one of the more entertaining elements for fans.

For years, viewers watched Kershaw disappear into his intense game-day routine every time he was scheduled to pitch. Television cameras captured the concentration, the competitiveness and, frequently, the frustration whenever things did not go exactly as planned.

Broadcasting requires something entirely different.

Instead of shutting out the noise, Kershaw has to help explain it.

A Natural Next Chapter for a Dodgers Icon

There is no indication that Tuesday’s SportsNet LA assignment represents a permanent move into the Dodgers booth.

Reports indicate Kershaw is scheduled for Tuesday’s game, while Orel Hershiser is expected to return alongside Davis for the remaining games in Atlanta.

That makes this more of a special appearance than a changing of the guard.

Still, it will be interesting to see how comfortable Kershaw looks in the role.

Former players have taken many different paths after retirement. Some want distance from the sport. Others become coaches, executives or broadcasters almost immediately.

Kershaw has so far left himself room to do a little of several things.

He is a special assistant with the Dodgers. He has joined NBC Sports for selected baseball coverage. And now he is getting a night in the SportsNet LA booth.

None of those commitments requires him to replicate the relentless schedule he maintained as a Major League pitcher.

Instead, they allow him to remain around baseball while choosing how deeply he wants to become involved.

For Dodgers fans, that is welcome news.

Kershaw’s retirement ended his time in the rotation, but it did not have to end his relationship with the franchise.

Dodgers Fans Get a Familiar Voice in an Unfamiliar Role

There will understandably be plenty of attention on the field Tuesday.

Glasnow is back.

The Dodgers and Braves are beginning an important series.

Postseason positioning is increasingly becoming part of every contender’s conversation.

Yet SportsNet LA viewers will have another reason to tune in.

For the first time, they will hear Clayton Kershaw analyze a Dodgers game as part of the network’s broadcast team.

His role has changed dramatically since the days when everyone in Dodger Stadium knew exactly where he would be every fifth day.

But the perspective he brings has not gone anywhere.

Eighteen seasons with one franchise gave Kershaw an uncommon understanding of Dodgers baseball, Major League pitching and the expectations that surround a team built to compete for championships.

On Tuesday night, he gets to share some of that perspective with the people who spent all those years watching him.

Clayton Kershaw may be finished taking the mound for the Dodgers, but for one night in Atlanta, one of the most familiar figures in franchise history will once again be part of the game — this time from the SportsNet LA booth.