Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is easing Shohei Ohtani back during spring training. The two-time World Series winning skipper isn’t overusing his star at Camelback Ranch. Ohtani even has a personal at-bat goal he wants to hit before the Tokyo Series.
But what’s the plan on the mound for Ohtani? Especially as he comes off from left shoulder surgery and with the Chicago Cubs on the horizon in his native Japan?
Ohtani gave the Dodgers a sample of his 2025 pitching ability one week ago. This handed Roberts a clearer indicator of where Ohtani is pitching wise. He unveiled his plan for Ohtani’s future on the hill Thursday, per Los Angeles Times Dodgers reporter Jack Harris.
“Shohei Ohtani is still playing catch, but it has been more than a week since his last bullpen session. The reason, according to Dave Roberts: Ohtani and the team wanted to ‘slow-play’ his pitching program as he began to ramp up as a hitter and take live game at-bats,” Harris posted on X.
Harris then answered if the 2024 NL Most Valuable Player will throw heat for the rest of Cactus League action.
“Because of that, Ohtani will not face hitters before the team leaves for Japan,” Harris confirms. “He will resume his ramp-up as a pitcher at some point once the team gets back, but Roberts was careful not to commit to a specific timeline.”
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts reveals when Shohei Ohtani can join rotation
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Ohtani eyeballed May for when he can be fully inserted into the pitching rotation. Is that month still in the cards for when Roberts can throw in the right-handed hurler?
“[We’re] just trying to make it a broad time to return. We just don’t know,” Roberts said via Harris. “So I think that when he’s ready…we’ll know. But I don’t want to put any kind of expectation on you guys, or Shohei.”
Many Dodger fans will eagerly await to watch Ohtani’s versatility. Ohtani last went 10-5 overall on the mound, but that was in 2023 with the Angels. He fired 167 strikeouts that year.
Ohtani entered the “50-50 club” in his Dodgers debut of 2024: Smacking 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases. He finished with a .317 batting average and ripped 197 total hits.
The $700 million Dodgers All-Star already looks like he hasn’t missed a beat even after his shoulder ailment. Roberts came away in awe of Ohtani’s spring training debut on Feb. 28. That evening featured Ohtani’s home run blast on a full count against the Angels. Now, Roberts is giving Ohtani’s arm a rest in his 2025 pitching plan.
