Shohei Ohtani has been active for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Spring Training, already finding his way into a handful of Cactus League games.
The two-way star has displayed his power, steady approach and ability to find holes in the defense. Reaching his 50 at-bat goal was a large milestone for Ohtani to hit in camp, a key piece of his very regimented build up towards the regular season.
Ohtani stated he didn’t have a preference in where he took his swings, whether it be through Cactus League play, finding them on the backfields, in the cages or simulated games.
Meanwhile, manager Dave Roberts said the plan is to have Ohtani in the Dodgers lineup for most of the team’s remaining Cactus League games on their schedule, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he agrees that Ohtani is no longer in “rehab mode” as a hitter. With nine games left before the Dodgers leave for South Korea, Roberts said he expects Ohtani to play in five of them.
“I think right now he’s in ‘prepare-for-the-season’ mode,” Roberts said. “Which is a good thing for all of us.”
Counting Wednesday, the plan for Ohtani is to play in five of the Dodgers’ final nine games prior to leaving for South Korea and the Seoul Series. That trip also includes a series of exhibition contests, that are likely to see Ohtani appear in at least one.
Looking ahead to the Dodgers’ regular season schedule, Ohtani is on track to be fully prepared for his first with the new after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract in the offseason.
Shohei Ohtani moves past rehab for elbow surgery
Following Tuesday’s game with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani announced that he has successfully completed the hitting portion of his rehab.
Ohtani discussed the next portion of his Spring Training slate will be focused on just getting at-bats, both in quality, while hammering in his timing. The early start to the Dodgers regular season has the entire roster on a slightly accelerated timeline, but Ohtani’s preparation is in accordance with that.
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