LOS ANGELES— The Los Angeles Dodgers hoped to make the most of Shohei Ohtani’s two-way experience as the 2025 Major League Baseball season began. Still, after weeks of delays in his throwing program, they’ll have to wait a little longer.
Ohtani has not thrown a Major League pitch in over eighteen months, dating back to mid-August of the 2023 regular season, when the superstar was in his final season in Anaheim with the Angels.
Despite undergoing a second career Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers awarded Ohtani the largest sports contract in North American history, a 10-year, $700 million deal with $680 million deferred after Ohtani’s playing days.
Ohtani did not throw a single pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2024 season, but he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award unanimously and helped the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title in franchise history, becoming the only player to establish the 50/50 club.
Despite throwing some bullpens at the end of the season, Ohtani never got to face live hitters, instead spending the entire offseason preparing as a pitcher and hitter before finishing his rehab. However, additional off-season shoulder surgery would complicate matters.
When Ohtani joined the Dodgers for spring training in February, he continued his throwing program, which included throwing off the mound. Despite Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ hopes for a mid-May return, the Dodgers would delay Ohtani’s pitching progression in order to prepare him as a hitter for the early season start date in Tokyo, Japan.
Fast forward to today, and the Dodgers are gradually preparing Ohtani as a pitcher, with him throwing a series of “light” bullpens on Thursdays and a heavier one on Saturdays.
So far, we’re three weeks into this schedule, but the Dodgers and Ohtani aren’t expected to face hitters anytime soon because the club wants him to incorporate all of his pitches first, and Ohtani has only thrown splitters and fastballs.
Some in baseball have questioned whether Ohtani will ever pitch again, or whether it is even worth it for the Dodgers.
According to his source, Major League Baseball insider Bob Nightengale stated that if the Dodgers needed it, Ohtani could take the mound and contribute right away.
If the Los Angeles Dodgers actually needed him, Shohei Ohtani could step on the mound right now and contribute, according to a person close to Ohtani, but his return is looking like it may come closer to the All-Star break.
For anyone who follows the Dodgers closely, it’s no surprise that they’re saving Ohtani for October, hoping to build him up post-all-star break and make him a key member of the Dodgers’ starting rotation for the postseason.
While the Dodgers’ starting rotation has some bumps in the road, with lefty Blake Snell on the 15-day Injured List due to shoulder inflammation, the team is not in a hurry to rush Ohtani’s rehab and development.
Clayton Kershaw, a veteran lefty, will begin his rehab assignment from offseason toe and knee surgery on Wednesday, with an expected return in late May. Right-hander Tony Gonsolin has begun his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City and is expected to rejoin the Dodgers in the coming weeks.
Until then, don’t expect Ohtani to take the mound at Dodger Stadium until after the All-Star break in July.
