Shohei Ohtani is set to make his first start of the 2026 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it also marks the start of his first full season as a two-way player for the club.
Ohtani was limited to the designated hitter role in his first season with the Dodgers, and last year, the Dodgers slowly built him up as a pitcher, so he threw only 47 innings.
The Dodgers are likely going to remain more cautious than not with Ohtani in 2026, but they also plan to adjust based on how he’s feeling.
“I think it’s fluid,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I would say I like the six innings tomorrow, depending on how he’s throwing the baseball. And then maybe a repeat of that, or seven, depending on efficiency.
“But honestly, with Shohei, you’ve got to be willing to kind of adapt, because if he is really efficient, then you’re still trying to win the game. And if it makes sense, I’m not going to just pull the plug just because of a certain number.”
Ohtani pitched 166 innings in 2022, and he’s had two other seasons of around 130 innings — in 2021 and 2023 — but outside of that, he has not thrown many innings as he’s dealt with injury issues.
Whether the Dodgers have a set innings plan for Ohtani this season is unclear, but they still plan to read and react to his starts.
“I haven’t asked, I’m going start by start,” Roberts said. “I think the range question is fair. It’s just not an exact science, as much as people want to think it might be, and some people probably do.
“But innings aren’t all created equal. All throws aren’t created equal. We talk to him a lot on how he’s feeling, and if there’s days that we got to give him a couple extra days, we’re willing to do that. But I just don’t know the range. I really don’t.”
Ohtani returned to the mound with a 2.87 ERA and 11.87 strikeouts per nine last season, showing he’s still among the elite arms in baseball when he’s healthy.
The Dodgers main goal is to have him ready in October, and all their decisions will come with that in mind.
Shohei Ohtani prioritizing health
Ohtani shouldn’t have any major limitations this year and could put himself in the Cy Young Award race if he continues to pitch at an elite level. However, the 31-year-old said his top priority is staying healthy and anything extra would be icing on the cake.
“If the end result is getting a Cy Young, that’s great,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Getting a Cy Young means just being able to throw more innings and pitch throughout the whole season. So if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. And that’s what I’m more focused on, just being healthy the whole year.”
If you love our reporting, choose DodgerBlue.com as a preferred source on Google.
