Shohei Ohtani, one of baseball’s most dynamic talents, has not pitched since undergoing Tommy John surgery during the 2023 MLB season. While Ohtani dazzled as a designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout 2024, fans are eager to see him back on the mound. Though he missed the opportunity to pitch in front of his hometown fans during the Dodgers' Tokyo series against the Chicago Cubs, there’s growing optimism that Ohtani could return to a two-way role at some point in the 2025 MLB season.
Ohtani’s Pitching Plan: Progress and Timeline
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts initially indicated that Ohtani might be ready to pitch by May. However, the two-way star hasn’t completed a bullpen session since February 25, causing a slight delay in his pitching timeline. With the Dodgers now back from Tokyo, Ohtani is expected to ramp up his pitching activity as the team prepares for its home opener against the Detroit Tigers on March 27.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior addressed Ohtani’s progress, stating, “But we’ll just see kind of where we’re at after the next 10 days, two weeks.” Ohtani will soon face hitters in simulated-game scenarios before advancing to live-action pitching.
Dodgers’ Rotation Depth While Ohtani Recovers
It will be a robust five-man rotation to start the 2025 season without Ohtani. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Dustin May make up the pitching staff of the team. The injuries to both Bobby Miller and Tony Gonsolin have left the depth in rotation relatively shallow, just like most of the things that have recently been jointly spoken about this team.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers feature enough quality arms to keep within reach of actual competition before Ohtani returns to action. Everything being on course, he may be on a pitch count, with Ohtani most likely resuming pitching by May, at which point Los Angeles should be able to add some significant firepower to its pitching unit for the rest of the season.
Ohtani's Potential Impact on the Mound
When he was last seen pitching for the Angels in 2023, it was obvious just how very good "pretty much the best" would describe his modest self-assessment. In a 23-start season that saw many pitchers record between 10 and 5 in wins and losses, he compiled a 3.14 earned run average, a 1.06 WHIP, and a very impressive 167:55 K:BB ratio over 132.0 innings pitched. There can be little doubt that, if he were to repeat such numbers for 2025, reestablishing himself among the top arms in the Dodgers' rotation would be relatively easy for Ohtani.
All MLB fans have been waiting for the coming of Ohtani as a two-way star. If the rehab stays on track, this might be a thrilling season for the Dodgers when their stars again shine as bright as ever.