The Los Angeles Dodgers announced left-hander Clayton Kershaw will make his season debut Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels

Kershaw, who had knee and toe surgeries during the offseason, is in his 18th campaign with the Dodgers.

"It's a big shot in the arm," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to Beth Harris of The Associated Press. "Clayton has worked really hard to get healthy and the bar is high for him. He doesn't want to just come back to be active. He wants to be come back and help us win baseball games and be good. I know he's excited to contribute."

The three-time NL Cy Young winner and 10-time All-Star was limited to 30 innings (seven starts) because of injuries last year. However, he's 32 strikeouts away from becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history to record 3,000 during a career.

Hall of Famers Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and CC Sabathia are the only left-handers to accomplish the vaunted feat.

Kershaw, 37, would be a welcome addition to Los Angeles' rotation if he can stay healthy. The club's pitching staff is currently missing stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki.