The Los Angeles Dodgers have long planned on Shohei Ohtani pitching during the 2025 season, but at what point that would come to be has been a moving target.
During the offseason, manager Dave Roberts suggested Ohtani making his Dodgers pitching debut in May was feasible. However, it quickly became apparent that was not going to be the case, especially once Ohtani paused his throwing progression in Spring Training as the Tokyo Series drew near.
Ohtani resumed his pitching program once the Dodgers returned stateside and continued to make steady progress in over the ensuing months. Now the right-hander is in the midst of facing batters and nearing a return to the mound.
In an interview with Alden González of ESPN, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained the deliberate approach stems from wanting to put Ohtani in position to continue pitching for the duration of his Dodgers contract:
“Viewing it on a shorter-term horizon, it’s easy to want to be aggressive and push — I think both from him and from us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “But we set out to view this as putting him in the best position to pitch over the next nine years and prioritizing longevity, and this first year back, it’s really important for that long-term aspect to not be too aggressive right now.”
Ohtani began his throwing program last year and given mounting Dodger pitcher injuries, there was some external belief he would take the mound late in 2024 and perhaps the postseason. However, the Dodgers continued to state that wasn’t likely before formally ruling out Ohtani from pitching in the playoffs.
It’s plausible he would have already taken the mound in 2025 if not for a subluxation (partial dislocation) of Ohtani’s left shoulder during the World Series. He suffered a torn labrum that ultimately required offseason surgery.
Shohei Ohtani skipping rehab assignment
Ohtani’s made recent strides in his rehab program that’s now seen him face batters three separate times. He threw 44 pitches over three innings against Dodgers Minor Leaguers at Petco Park on Tuesday.
He’s expected to continue doing so in lieu of joining a Minor League affiliate for a rehab assignment. Meanwhile, Roberts indicated it’s now plausible that Ohtani pitches in his first game before the All-Star break.
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