The Los Angeles Dodgers initially thought that the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, Shohei Ohtani, could return to the pitching mound by MLB Opening Day 2025. However, they pushed back on that estimate, saying that the Japanese sensation will be ready to pitch by May. Even that estimate isn’t sure anymore.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that Ohtani hasn’t pitched since late February and will not take the mound in their two-game season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs in Japan on March 18 and 19. Roberts and the Dodgers coaching staff want to slow down Ohtani’s pitching return as they focus on his hitting prowess.
Therefore, Ohtani’s pitching return is once again indefinite after undergoing surgery to repair his injured elbow at the end of the 2023 season. Meanwhile, he tore the labrum on his non-throwing shoulder in Game 2 of last season’s World Series, which delayed his recovery further.
Ohtani is coming off an MVP season wherein he became the first Major League player to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. Likewise, he has a 3.01 ERA and a 1.082 WHIP throughout his MLB career.
Even with Ohtani sidelined from pitching, the Dodgers have one of the strongest pitching rotations in baseball. In addition to his countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and newly signed Blake Snell.
-Lance Fernandez