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The Los Angeles Dodgers has received a major boost in which their superstar Shohei Ohtani will get his first start for the club since signing a whopping $700 million contract for the franchise. The Japanese international showcased his two-way prowess after being sidelined from pitching for nearly two years when he was playing for Los Angeles Angels.
Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound for Los Angeles Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani didn't pitch for the entire last season due to a second UCL repair following an injury in August 2023. That season, Ohtani clinched the American League MVP unanimously, pitching 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132.0 innings pitched and batting .304 with 95 RBIs and 44 home runs in 135 games.
Ohtani suffered his first UCL tear early in his career when he was struggling to showcase his two-way class. During that time, many had written him off, but after his breakthrough in 2021, leading to his first AL MVP award, there has been no stopping the Japanese.
Till his second UCL tear, Ohtani had 2.84 ERA in 428.1 innings with 542 strikeouts. Overall, he enjoyed 3.01 ERA in the six seasons that he was with the LA Angels, averaging 277 and hitting 124 home runs and 57 stolen bases, making him one of the modern day legends.
It was first believed that Shohei Ohtani would return to pitching after the All-Star break. He had to push his rehab during the offseason by a few months because of his shoulder injury he sustained during the 2024 World Series. But, he made sure he picked up his workload on his arm and regained strength, which made him pitch in three simulated games since the start of the season.
His last simulated game came on Tuesday ahead of the San Diego Padres clash. Ohtani notched up three innings of 44 pitches and his fastball even reached the pace of mid-90s. He showcased his control over his pitching arsenal due to which the LA Dodgers feel that he could start against the Padres on Monday.
His return to the mound comes as a blessing in disguise for the Dodgers, as they have 14 pitchers on the injury list. The three main contenders on the injury list include the likes of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow. With these three out due to injuries, Yoshinobu Yamamota and Clayton Kershaw have started alongside Dustin May.
What to expect from Shohei Ohtani?
The Los Angeles Dodgers will be very cautious before putting too much pressure on Ohtani. It is expected that he will get a short start, mainly depending on the situation of the match.
Due to Ohtani's two-way class, the Dodgers have the advantage of carrying an extra pitcher to their 13-picther quota. As Ohtani doesn't count as a pitcher, the Dodgers can go forward with the same set of arms and have a backup to back Ohtani's short start.
The team will also keep in mind that Ohtani's played as a DH for them, which proved to be crucial for the franchise. During that time, he was hitting at .297 with 41 RBIs and 25 home runs.
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