When Shohei Ohtani signed his historic contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season, the team expected a lengthy recovery before their new superstar would be healthy enough to pitch again.
It took nearly two years before the Dodgers decided Ohtani had recovered enough from Tommy John surgery to pitch in a Major League game again.
His journey back to being a two-way player began in earnest near the end of the 2024 season. Ohtani’s first bullpen session with the Dodgers on August 24, 2024, marked the first time he had thrown off a mound in a year, but his work was only just beginning.
His preparation in the offseason heading into the 2025 season was all-consuming, but it was all worth it in the end as he threw 67.1 innings without incident.
With the most difficult rehab work behind him, Ohtani had much less mental stress to deal with this past offseason, according to Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic:
“The previous offseason, just having to go to different facilities, appointments, rehabbing, just felt like every day the day passed by really quick,” Ohtani said. “I just felt like I had a pretty easier offseason mentally.”
The Dodgers anticipate Ohtani to pitch regularly this year after his methodical build-up last season. The organization is much more comfortable with where the right-hander is physically compared to the beginning of last season, and they believe he’ll be able to give them a good amount of length right out of the gate.
There has yet to be a final decision about Ohtani’s spot in the rotation to start the season, but the expectation is that it comes after the Opening Series.
Ohtani also hopes to compete for the Cy Young Award this year, but his goal is staying healthy above all.
Shohei Ohtani makes first Cactus League start in 2026
Ohtani had yet to pitch in a professional game this spring heading into Thursday, as he was limited to being the designated hitter for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
His first appearance against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday was about as good as it gets. The right-hander threw 4.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts on 61 pitches.
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