Shohei Ohtani will not be in the rotation when the 2025 season starts in just about three weeks. Major League Baseball’s only two-way player has started throwing bullpens this spring and hopes to pitch in games in May.
2024 was Ohtani’s best offensive year as a pro, so it may not be a coincidence that he didn’t pitch last season. It’s a bad idea to bet against Shohei. Can he hit 54 home runs and steal 59 bases as a two-way player, while recovering from two major surgeries?
On Sunday Shohei Ohtani faced live pitching for the first time this spring. He’s recovering from a torn labrum in his shoulder. He got hurt stealing a base in game two of the world series.
“Shohei looked good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He got a lot of swings off. He said he felt good afterward. He hit a couple of balls hard, which is good to see. I’m excited that he got to face some pitchers. We are still on track for [the] end of next week that he will be in a game DHing.”
It’s tough to compare Ohtani’s time with the Los Angeles Angels with his one season with the Dodgers. In his seven MLB years he’s averaged 42 home runs with 107 driven and 27 stolen bases.
Shohei Ohtani is the only person in the history of professional baseball reach hit 50/50 in one season. It’s crazy to think that he can do that again in 2025. But he can, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ right-hander hit 95 mph on the gun in his first bullpen this spring. He threw just fastballs, in his first session and has now started throwing his cutter. He hasn’t pitched a game in the big leagues since August 2023. That year he posted a 3.14 ERA / 1.061 WHIP in 23 starts.
You may see something different with Ohtani on the mound this season. He has started throwing from the windup this past week.
“Traditionally, I’ve thrown from the stretch a lot,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “But as part of being a baseball player, I want to explore different options, different avenues, to see if I can grow as a player. I do that on the pitching side as well as a hitter.”
He says he’s ready to try the windup when he gets back on the mound this season. “That’s my plan, but again, with increasing the intensity, I do want to see how my body responds. So yes, as of now, that’s the plan.”
Ohtani will not go to the minor leagues for rehab games. His entire pitching rehab will be simulated games with the team.
Shohei Ohtani is coming back from two major surgeries this season and he is still having some discomfort in his shoulder. He was hurt while trying to steal a base in game two of the World Series. It was a partial dislocation and surgeons fixed a torn labrum in his shoulder. He says he’s still got some soreness.
“It’s not really debilitating. I feel pretty good, almost getting there, to where I want it to be.
Shohei Ohtani
“I’ve gone through it with the elbow before and with the shoulder it’s a little bit more complicated. I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient.”
The Dodgers have the best pitching staff in baseball. President Andrew Friedman says the team will use a six-man rotation when Ohtani returns to the mound. The Dodgers will start the season with five because they have five days off in the first month. Here’s the projected rotation:
The fifth spot will be up for grabs. When Ohtani is ready he’ll be added as the sixth starter. There is no shortage of arms in Los Angeles.
Certain first-ballot hall-of-famer Clayton Kershaw is set to be back in June after two surgeries this off-season. They’ve got former starters Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller and Landon Knack trying to nail down that fifth spot.
Remember though, this was a team that threw a bullpen game in the World Series. The endless resources right now may not be there in October.
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