Shohei Ohtani ‘unlikely’ to be ready to pitch for Dodgers in season openers in Japan next season

Although it would be an incredible moment, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is “unlikely” to pitch for the team in its games in Japan to start next season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Ohtani, who is still recovering from elbow surgery he underwent at the end of his time with the Los Angeles Angels, almost certainly won’t be ready to pitch in L.A.’s two games against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo in March, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Ohtani is also recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent after the World Series to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Ohtani is expected to be available as a hitter to start the season. Roberts said the team will be “nimble” with Ohtani’s workload and will come up with a plan to ramp him up so he can start pitching again.

While that news might be disappointing for Ohtani’s fans in his home country, Roberts’ comments track with the team’s plan for Ohtani to return to the mound during the 2025 season. He didn’t pitch at all last season while recovering from surgery to fix a torn UCL in his pitching arm at the end of the 2023 campaign. Ohtani held a 3.14 ERA and went 10-5 in 23 starts with the Angels in 2023, his last season on the mound.

Despite not pitching, Ohtani still hit and led the Dodgers to their eighth World Series title while picking up a unanimous MVP award. Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs, 50 stolen bases, an MVP award and a World Series title in the same campaign. That came after he signed a then-record $700 million deal and a massive gambling scandal centered around his former interpreter.

It’s still unclear when Ohtani will pitch again, and we’re probably a bit too far from the start of the season for the Dodgers to have a specific date or plan to get him on the mound. But as long as everything keeps trending in the right direction, he’ll be back in the Dodgers’ rotation again very soon.