For the second consecutive season, Shohei Ohtani entered Spring Training with the Los Angeles Dodgers after undergoing offseason surgery. And just like before, the Dodgers are carefully monitoring his workload and had him on a steady progression leading up to his first game.
Last season, it was Tommy John surgery that initially limited Ohtani’s workload to ensure he could complete games without any issues. This season, lingering discomfort in his surgically repaired left shoulder necessitated a slow buildup to game action.
With six Cactus League games left on the Dodgers’ schedule before they depart for Japan, Ohtani has a limited window to prepare for the start of the Tokyo Series on March 18. Between Cactus League appearances, hitting off the Trajekt machine, and other training options at his disposal, Ohtani is targeting a specific number of at-bats to feel prepared for the games in Tokyo.
“Overall, just live plus seeing pitches in Trajekt, I would like to be able to have at least 50 at-bats,” Ohtani said.
It is the same number of at-bats he targeted last season when he stepped up to the plate 22 times in eight games during Cactus League play in Arizona.
So far, Ohtani has appeared in three games for the Dodgers during Spring Training, batting .375/.375/.750 with one home run in eight at-bats. Participating in as many Cactus League games as possible is important for Ohtani, as it provides the best opportunity to test his shoulder’s full range of motion.
“The intensity of the game is different from the practice setting, so it’ll be about checking how it feels in a game situation,” Ohtani said when asked how he would know if he could fully trust his shoulder.
Farhan Zaidi chooses Shohei Ohtani over Juan Soto as franchise cornerstone
Ohtani held the record for the largest contract in the history of sports for exactly one year before Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract surpassed it this past offseason.
Farhan Zaidi, who is back with the Dodgers organization after six seasons with the San Francisco Giants, said he would choose Ohtani over Soto as a franchise cornerstone and gave his reasoning as to why.
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