Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Won’t Play in Dodgers’ Cactus League Opener

Eventually the Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the rest of Major League Baseball will get a look at the most expensive pitcher in baseball history in a competitive setting.

It just won’t be this week.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday at the Dodgers’ spring training facility that right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will not appear in the team’s first Cactus League game Thursday against the Padres. Neither will Shohei Ohtani, whose spring training ramp-up is being dictated by his recovery from elbow surgery last fall:

While Ohtani’s absence should come as no surprise, it’s somewhat notable that Yamamoto will not pitch Thursday in Peoria, Arizona.

It is no coincidence that the Dodgers’ spring training and regular season openers are both against the Padres. The two NL West rivals are beginning their exhibition seasons earlier than every other club so they can have enough time to prepare for their early regular season opener in Seoul, South Korea.

After playing each other in Seoul, South Korea on March 20 and 21, the two teams will return home and participate in Opening Day on March 28. Coaches and executives for both teams must plan out their starting pitchers’ assignments weeks in advance. Perhaps the Dodgers are intentionally shielding the Padres’ hitters from standing in the box against Yamamoto precisely because the Dodgers want him to start one of the two games in Seoul.

As for Ohtani, he took live batting practice for the first time Monday. Whatever the Dodgers are able to see of him in spring training is essentially a bonus. Ohtani’s goal is to be ready by Opening Day. Neither he nor the team will risk an injury by rushing him back to soon.

Assuming the delay to Yamamoto’s Cactus League season has nothing to do with his health, Monday’s news is of little consequence to the Dodgers or their fans – except those in Japan, who will have to wait another day to see their two favorite Dodgers in a competitive setting.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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