Brandon Gomes Reveals Why Dodgers Are Confident Shohei Ohtani Will Return to High-Level Pitching

With the Dodgers’ addition of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, it now brings an extra layer of firepower to the franchise. Ohtani has been the most electric player in baseball over the last few seasons, and now Dodger Stadium will feel his energy every game.

Ohtani will only be a hitter for the 2024 season while he recovers from a torn UCL. But he is expected to return to his two-way abilities in 2025 if all goes well.

There have been some who have worried about him returning to be the Cy Young caliber pitcher that he once was, but the Dodgers front office isn’t part of that group. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes spoke on this and explained why he is so confident in Ohtani returning to form.

“Watching him and talking to him about his thought process, how he goes about his rehab, how meticulous he is in everything he does, we couldn’t be more confident in betting on the human and how he takes care of himself,” Gomes said. “Shohei is a physical specimen and takes an incredible amount of pride in how he goes about his rehab and very calculated in each and every step. So we feel really good about how he’s progressing. The person, the reports from our medical group and Dr. ElAttrache (are) that Shohei will come back and be pitching at a high level.”

Per Brandon Gomes via “The Show’ podcast

Having Ohtani’s surgeon on the team staff is a massive advantage for the Dodgers. Dr. ElAttrache can provide them with updates they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else, so they have no worries about him returning.

Ohtani is one of the more competitive players in all of sports, and his mind is wired a little differently. Like all of the other great players across the sports world, Ohtani has a fierce drive and motivation to overcome any obstacle in his way.

This torn UCL is just another roadblock for him, and he will overcome it. The Dodgers wouldn’t have committed $700 million to Ohtani if they weren’t confident in his return.

When he does take the mound again, it will be a welcome sight for the entire organization. The hope is that he can resume his strong skill set on the mound, but even if he is an average pitcher, the Dodgers will still be thankful that they signed him.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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