Kershaw 'leaning towards playing' another season

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw doesn't seem ready to hang up his cleats after this season.

"As of now, I haven't really thought a whole lot about next year. But I do think I'm leaning towards playing over not, for sure," Kershaw said, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

The three-time Cy Young winner added: "I hold the right to change my mind, but as of today, I think that I've got at least one more run."

Kershaw, who's played his entire 15-year career with the Dodgers, is slated to become a free agent again at the end of the 2022 campaign after signing a one-year contract in March.

The 34-year-old has accrued a 2.39 ERA with 0.93 WHIP and 9.6 K/9 this season en route to his ninth All-Star Game selection. However, he's logged just 109 1/3 innings (19 starts) due to multiple back-related stints on the injured list.

"At the end of the day, pitching is tough on my back," Kershaw said. "There's no way around that."

Yet, the veteran ace believes he can push through his back problems.

"I can manage it, definitely, and maybe there's a time where it can last for eight months of the year and be good," he said. "I still think that's in there."