Since his debut in 2018 Shohei Ohtani 38-19 ERA and 608 strikeouts. During that time, the era of only five starters (minimum 400 IP) was lower, and only six starteders had more strikeout efficiency. Admittedly, Ohtani has been a great pitcher when he was healthy enough to occupy the mound. Alas, in seven Major League Baseball seasons, the injury limits the two-way superstar to 86 games. He has never played in a major league game since August 2023. Of course, that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the best players in the world – he won his third MVP in 2024 without pitching an inning, but it’s an understatement that says fans are happy to see him back to Mound in 2025.
Unfortunately, the wait may be longer than originally expected. Not only did Ohtani recover from UCL surgery in September 2023, he also recovered from surgery on his non-subsequent shoulders in November last year. In February, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested Ohtani could start facing live batsmen before the Tokyo series and return to the team’s rotation sometime in May, even earlier. Just two weeks ago, it still seemed to be the case. However, the captain sang slightly differently over the past Thursday.
Ohtani has not abandoned the mound since the bullpen meeting held on February 25. Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) that the team was very cautious about the two-way player when he returned like DH. His last bullpen meeting came three days before his first appearance as a batsman in the Cactus League. “We just felt like intensifying the bullpen and intensifying the intensity of the Olympics,” Roberts explained. “So we just wanted to play slowly.”
When asked if Ottany could still return to the rotation in May, Roberts had no doubts: “We just don’t know.”
Towing coach Mark Prior said the Dodgers are “trying to control overall workload management” for Ohtani’s left shoulder. “From a DH perspective, it’s a little bit of a change to make sure he’s dialed and ready to go,” he told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Thankfully, Prior doesn’t think Ohtani’s new schedule is any cause of concern. This is not a sign of a major setback. The Dodgers seem to be just engaging in caution with the most important players. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Ohtani’s return schedule looks more than a few weeks ago. As Sonja Chen of MLB.com pointed out, Ohtani is unlikely to face a live opponent now until the team returns from Tokyo.
The exciting thing about finally seeing Ohtani back on a major league mound is that the Dodgers must not be blamed for their safety. and Blake Snell,,,,, Tyler Glasnow,,,,, Yoshinobu Yamamoto,,,,, Roki Sasaki,,,,, Tony Gonsolinand Dustin may In the fold, the spin depth of Los Angeles started the season is not very short. Also, the worst case scenario is Ohtani’s injury, stopping him from throwing or Hit any time. Needless to say, the Dodgers know better than anyone else that they are taking precautions to avoid this kind of disaster.
