Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani currently sits at 302 career home runs coming out of the All-Star break.
Ohtani was no slouch during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, but he has become one of the most prominent sluggers in baseball since joining the Dodgers in 2024. Ohtani had the second-most home runs in the Majors in 2024 and third-most in 2025, with 54 and 55, respectively.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Ohtani has what it takes to join the prestigious 500-home run club by the end of his career.
“I think so,” Roberts began. “I mean, he just had a birthday, still young, still strong. So I definitely think 500 is in his future.”
With a conservative estimate that the 32-year-old hits 20 additional home runs this season to finish the 2026 campaign with 42, Ohtani would need to average around 25 homers per year over the remainder of his contract through 2033 to join the 500-home run club.
There are currently 28 players in MLB history who have reached that milestone. Miguel Cabrera is the most recent member of the fraternity, joining on Aug. 22, 2021 against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.
It would be an indescribable accomplishment for Ohtani should he reach it over the next seven seasons. While it is nowhere close to the all-time record of 762 held by Barry Bonds, it would be an exceptional accomplishment for someone who also starts on the mound once per week.
When is Shohei Ohtani pitching again?
Ohtani’s left knee trouble surfaced during the final game of the Dodgers’ series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 11, and it has caused issues on multiple occasions since.
The two-way star did not make his scheduled start on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of the All-Star break. Ohtani’s plan was to have the troublesome left knee drained of fluid, which was why he did not take part in the Midsummer Classic, nor make the trip to Philadelphia.
It’s also not yet clear when Ohtani will be back on the mound. The Dodgers announced their probables for this weekend as Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani previously had surgery performed on his left knee in 2019 to repair a bipartite patella, which is a rare congenital condition. Bipartite patella occurs when the two bones of the kneecap did not fuse together at birth.
Ohtani admitted he’s wondered about a potential link between his knee surgery and current trouble.
Still, Ohtani and the Dodgers have expressed confidence he will be available when the Dodgers resume their schedule on the Friday, and he is expected to continue pitching this year.
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