Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound last summer after making a full recovery from Tommy John surgery and showed the Los Angeles Dodgers how dynamic he could be as a two-way player.
The Dodgers took a methodical approach to building up Ohtani and fully stretched him out by the playoffs. He wound up logging 67.1 innings between the regular season and postseason.
The two-way star is expected to pitch for the Dodgers regularly this year and should be a key member of their starting rotation from start to finish.
However, the team is still deciding on Ohtani’s spot in the rotation and whether or not he will have a pitch count in his first start, via Doug Padilla of the Southern California News Group:
Shohei Ohtani is expected to be in the Dodgers’ rotation when the regular season begins, Roberts said. The team has not decided which spot in the rotation Ohtani will occupy, nor the target number of innings for his first start.
Ohtani won’t pitch in any Cactus League games this spring as he is currently away from the Dodgers to play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Ohtani is exclusively serving as the club’s designated hitter and won’t pitch in the tournament, either.
For those reasons, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ohtani is limited to some degree in his first pitching start. Even if that winds up being the case, Roberts believes the best is yet to come for the four-time MVP.
“Yeah, I do,” Roberts said earlier this spring when asked if Ohtani still has some untapped potential. “I think that certainly last year, coming off surgery, the regular offseason ramp-up, I think there’s certainly a lot more in there.
“And regardless of my expectations for him, his are going to exceed those. I think it’s fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation.
“But we just want him to be healthy and make starts, and all the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves. But man, this guy is such a disciplined worker and expects the most from himself.”
Shohei Ohtani prioritizing health over winning Cy Young Award
Assuming he sticks in the Dodgers’ rotation this year, Ohtani 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 earlier this spring 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.”
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