UPDATE (Feb. 25, 3:30 p.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Shohei Ohtani is making his 2024 Spring Training debut on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.
Shohei Ohtani has yet to make his Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training debut through Cactus League play on Sunday, but getting into the lineup for his first game appears to be on the horizon.
As the Dodgers began their Spring Training schedule late last week, Ohtani remained focused on his rehab process and recovery from last September’s right elbow surgery.
He’s been an active participant in the majority of Dodgers workouts at Camelback Ranch, and manager Dave Roberts recently said he felt Ohtani was making progress faster than anticipated. It wasn’t necessarily a sentiment Ohtani agreed with, but he nonetheless has been pleased with the process thus far.
“I don’t really feel like it’s ahead of schedule,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I feel like we’re right on schedule, which is a really good thing. My body is reacting really well so far. So everything is trending in the right direction.”
There isn’t any pressure for Ohtani to push his rehab, or make any unnecessary moves that could jeopardize his availability for the Seoul Series. The Dodgers are more than happy to work off Ohtani’s schedule that has been a sliding scale.
What’s most encouraging for Ohtani and the Dodgers is there haven’t had any medical red flags to this point in camp.
“I’m feeling seeing the ball well. Elbow-wise, there’s nothing there, which is a really good sign,” Ohtani said.
He’s logged at-bats against Ryan Brasier, Blake Treinen, J.P. Feyereisen, Daniel Hudson, Ryan Yarbrough, Joe Kelly and Jesse Hahn.
When is Shohei Ohtani’s first Dodgers game?
While Ohtani has participated in live batting practice on three separate occasions, anticipation has been building for his Dodgers Spring Training debut.
Roberts stopped short of setting the official date, but the expectation is Ohtani will be in the Dodgers lineup on Tuesday when they host the Chicago White Sox.
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