Shohei Ohtani is entering his first full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a two-way player, and many are excited about the potential impact he could have.
Ohtani took the mound for the first time this spring in a Cactus League game against the San Francisco Giants last week and threw 4.1 scoreless innings. The four-time MVP didn’t pitch before then, as he was away from the Dodgers while playing for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
With the Dodgers now back in Southern California ahead of facing the Los Angeles Angels in the exhibition Freeway Series, the expectation was that Ohtani would make a final tune-up start before the regular season.
According to Michael Huntley of the Southern California News Group, Ohtani is set to face his former team on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium and could make his regular-season pitching debut against the Cleveland Guardians on March 31:
Shohei Ohtani will pitch Tuesday in the spring training finale against the Angels at Dodger Stadium. Roberts said either Sheehan or Wrobleski will “piggyback” Ohtani.
Ohtani pitching on Tuesday sets him up to likely pitch the fifth game of the season against Cleveland on Mar. 31.
With Ohtani set to pitch in the Dodgers’ fifth game of the regular season, their starting rotation order to begin the 2026 season is slowly taking shape. The team previously announced that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch on Opening Day, but a starting pitcher for the next three games has not yet been announced.
Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan figure to take the mound in some order, with the latter earning the final spot over Justin Wrobleski. The Dodgers won’t need a sixth starter until they host the New York Mets on April 13-15 due to previous off days, which could create an opportunity for Wrobleski.
Shohei Ohtani, NL Cy Young Award contender?
Ohtani resumed pitching duties last summer after making a full recovery from Tommy John surgery and was methodically built up for the postseason. He wound up logging 67.1 innings between the regular season and playoffs.
Ohtani is expected to pitch for the Dodgers regularly this year, and manager Dave Roberts believes he could enter the conversation for National League Cy Young Award honors.
“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.”
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