Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a historic first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers despite being limited to a designated hitter role while recovering from a second right elbow surgery.
The two-way star has made strides in his recovery and expressed confidence he will be in the Dodgers lineup for the Tokyo Series to begin the 2025 season despite also recovering from left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.
As for Ohtani pitching, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently suggested that would not take place until May at the earliest. Roberts reiterated that stance when discussing Ohtani’s pitching outlook at DodgerFest.
“I think that’s about right, and it might be earlier,” Roberts said.
“The first thing I said earlier this offseason was it’s not going to be in the Japan Series. He’s not going to be pitching there, but once he gets to Spring Training and we see where the throwing program is, I think we’ll just go from there.”
Ohtani last pitched during the 2023 season as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, which saw him put up a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 132 innings en route to his second American League MVP Award.
Ohtani’s best season as a pitcher came in 2022, when he posted a 2.33 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 219 strikeouts over 166 innings. His ERA and strikeout totals were both sixth-best in baseball that season, the highest Ohtani has ever finished in either category.
The Dodgers believe that delaying Ohtani’s return until May will help avoid shutting him down during the middle of the season.
Dave Roberts believes Shohei Ohtani can throw 100 mph
Before his UCL injury, Ohtani was one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in all of baseball, with a fastball that topped out at 100 mph.
Roberts believes Ohtani will be able to get back to that speed after his latest operation. “I do,” he began.
“When he decides to use it, I don’t know what he’s going to sit or average, and all that stuff, but the most important thing is he’s getting to the point of being 100% healthy. Everything else will take care of itself.”
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