Shohei Ohtani is set to resume his two-way role in 2025, continuing to be the Los Angeles Dodgers’ designated hitter while also joining their rotation.
Ohtani wasn’t able to pitch during the 2024 season due to undergoing right elbow surgery late in 2023. The Dodgers did not want to rush Ohtani back and took a conservative approach with his rehab throughout the year.
That has since been slightly delayed because Ohtani was forced to undergo left shoulder surgery, but he is expected to be in the Dodgers lineup by Opening Day and he’s been progressing well.
Although Ohtani expressed some confidence of being to pitch on Opening Day, that’s an unlikely scenario as the Dodgers are continuing to utilize an abundance of caution.
There is also the wrinkle of their season beginning on March 18 in Tokyo, Japan.
While the Dodgers don’t plan to use Ohtani as a pitcher during the Tokyo Series, they also don’t seem inclined to let him pitch at any point during the first six weeks or so of the 2025 season.
The plan instead is to wait until May for Ohtani to make his pitching debut for the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts said in an interview with Sports Hochi, a Japanese newspaper.
If the Dodgers want Ohtani to make his pitching debut at Dodger Stadium, they have a nine-game homestand in the middle of the month, beginning May 13 against the Oakland Athletics. However, it may be beneficial for Ohtani to pitch prior to an off-day, which would give him a softer landing in his first game back on the mound by not requiring him to DH the next day.
That would line up May 11 and May 21 as potential dates, which both come against the Arizona Diamondbacks with the former being on the road with the latter at home. May 28 in Cleveland against the Guardians would also work out to go with that plan.
However, it’s unclear which day exactly the Dodgers will have Ohtani return, and they likely don’t have a specific date in mind either.
But by delaying Ohtani’s pitching debut until May, it should allow them to get him through the full season and playoffs without shutting him down at some point in the year to preserve his innings. Ohtani is likely to be on a strict innings limit during the year, so any time they can save some for late in the season, it would be beneficial.
The last time he stepped on the mound in 2023, Ohtani finished with a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 132 innings en route to his second American League MVP. He became the first player in MLB history to win multiple MVP Awards unanimously.
Ohtani’s best season as a pitcher came in 2022, when he had a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts over 166 innings. His ERA and strikeout total were both sixth-best in baseball that season, the highest Ohtani has ever finished in either category.
Shohei Ohtani missed the emotions of pitching
Although Ohtani demonstrated he is more than capable of earning every penny of his contract through hitting alone, he has a passion for pitching and the thought of being able to do it once again has him looking forward to the 2025 season.
