Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (22) enters the game as a closer in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, on Sept. 24, 2025.

Clayton Kershaw's career might be ending sooner than imagined.

The Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander, who has announced he is retiring after the season, will not be on the team's roster for the upcoming NL wild card series, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sept. 28.

Kershaw, 37, started the Dodgers' season finale at Seattle and pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings, exiting to a standing ovation at T-Mobile Park and a hug from Roberts, waiting in front of the dugout for a long embrace.

The club has pondered using him in relief in the postseason and he even appeared in the ninth inning of a tie game at Arizona last week.

Yet in the best-of-three wild card series beginning Sept. 30, the Dodgers will be flush with pitching, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani able to start the two to three games and others such as Emmet Sheehan sent to the bullpen.

It's likelier they'll need his services in a best-of-five NL Division Series, if they survive the wild card round against either the New York Mets or Cincinnati Reds. And the best-of-seven NL Championship Series and World Series would require greater length from the Dodgers' pitching staff and likelier, a role for Kershaw.

Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young winner, brought a 222-96 career record into his final start.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Clayton Kershaw won't be on Dodgers roster for NL wild card series

Reporting by Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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