Sooner or later within the 2025 baseball season, Shohei Ohtani is predicted to be a two-way player again.
When that’s, though, continues to be not clear.
Ohtani spoke at DodgerFest in Los Angeles in regards to the upcoming season and told reporters that he doesn’t have a precise date yet, and it should all depend upon how his bullpens go.
The three-time MVP underwent elbow surgery for a torn UCL in 2023 that kept him from pitching entirely through the World Series-winning campaign.
He also sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder during a stolen base attempt against the Yankees within the World Series that also required surgery.
Ohtani, per the Los Angeles Times, said all the pieces is “on schedule” when it comes to his recovery from the shoulder issue.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Ohtani coming back to the mound in May “sounds about right,” based on The Athletic.
Even without toeing the slab last 12 months, Ohtani was a formidable force for Los Angeles.
He greater than lived as much as the 10-year, $700 million contract in 12 months one, hitting .310/.390/1.036 all while becoming the primary player in MLB history to affix the 50-homer, 50-steal club.
He led the league in WAR (based on Baseball Reference) at 9.2.
All of it culminated in his first-ever National League MVP, ending ahead of the Mets’ Francisco Lindor.
The last time he pitched, with the Angels in 2023, Ohtani had a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 133 innings.
Even without Ohtani, a loaded Dodgers rotation already includes additions Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki and returnees Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.
