Shohei Ohtani didn’t pitch in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers while recovering from right elbow surgery, but he is expected to return to the mound this year.
Ohtani expressed confidence he would be able to pitch on Opening Day during the Tokyo Series, but that was considered unlikely as the team will continue to exercise caution with their two-way star.
“I just don’t see us starting the clock in March to then think that we would keep that continuously going through October,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently explained. “Then that would call for a break or reprieve in the middle of the season.
Roberts has since indicated to Japanese outlet Sports Hochi that Ohtani won’t make his 2025 debut as a pitcher until May at the earliest.
This should allow the 30-year-old to get through the full season and playoffs without the Dodgers needing to shut him down during the middle of the year to preserve his innings.
Ohtani last pitched during the 2023 season as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, when he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 132 innings en route to his second American League MVP.
Ohtani’s best season as a pitcher came in 2022, which saw him post a 2.33 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 219 strikeouts over 166 innings. His ERA and strikeout totals were both sixth-best in baseball that season, the highest Ohtani has ever finished in either category.
Ohtani is set to join a star-studded Dodgers rotation that will also include Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
The Dodgers are also expected to re-sign Clayton Kershaw and remain the favorite for Roki Sasaki.
Shohei Ohtani ‘progressing well’ after left shoulder surgery
Although Ohtani will have a delayed start to the 2025 season as a pitcher, he is expected to be in the Dodgers lineup as their designated hitter for the Tokyo Series.
That’s despite Ohtani undergoing successful arthroscopic surgery this offseason to repair a labrum tear that was a byproduct of what the team initially deemed a left shoulder subluxation.
It has been nearly two months since the operation and Ohtani continues to make strides in his recovery.
“He’s progressing well and continuing to check the boxes along the way,” general manager Brandon Gomes said. “He’s in a good place and we’ll keep seeing where he’s at as we get closer to Spring Training.”
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