Shohei Ohtani to Take Major Step in Throwing Program for Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani is making his return to being a two-way player in 2025 for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The reigning National League Most Valuable Player hasn’t pitched since August 2023, but will return to the mound in 2025 at some point, showing the Dodgers his full capabilities on the baseball diamond.
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While Ohtani isn’t going to start the season as a two-way player — or pitch in any Cactus League games — he’s already ramping up his throwing progression.
Ohtani said this week that he expects to throw his first bullpen session of spring training sometime this weekend, which is a major step in his return to the mound.
Thus far, Ohtani has thrown from flat ground in camp. As of Wednesday, he had thrown his splitter, curveball, cutter, and sweeper.
While Ohtani is returning from surgery to repair a torn UCL, he’s also coming back from offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum he suffered in Game 2 of the World Series.
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He says the recovery from the shoulder surgery has made for a more complicated offseason.
“I do feel like there’s some discomfort that I have to still overcome,” Ohtani said of the shoulder injury. “It’s not really debilitating. I feel pretty good almost getting there, to where I want it to be.
“I’ve gone through it with the elbow before (following surgery) and with the shoulder it’s a little bit more complicated. I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient.”
Nevertheless, Ohtani plans on being in the starting lineup as the team’s designated hitter come Opening Day in Japan on March 18. As for his return to the mound, he’ll likely make his pitching debut sometime in early May, as the Dodgers spend the next two months ramping him up.
Ohtani won’t go on a rehab assignment to return as a pitcher since the Dodgers want him in the lineup everyday. Thus, the team will find creative ways to get him his pitching reps to be fully ramped up to make his return to the mound.
Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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