Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke about two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani’s pitching plan for the next couple weeks on the first day of spring training Friday.
Ohtani made his return to pitching in 2025, and is heading into his first full season of pitching for the Dodgers in 2026. He didn’t pitch in 2024 nor the first few months of the 2025 regular season after undergoing Tommy John surgery with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023.
“You know, I don’t know when he’s going to leave us to join Team Japan, but there’s still gonna be ample time for him to get his progression here with us,” Roberts said. “To then, I’m sure Mark will be talking to the pitching coach over there and kind of, you know, stick to our plan and we’ll be in lockstep.
“So I’m not too concerned about it. Again, we’ll know more in the next couple of weeks, you know, and see where the progression is at. But I think for us, it’s, there’s not gonna be any timeline or end line or finish line to kind of where he has to be ready. So I’m sure his, you know, marker is Opening Day, but I think for us, just to kind of see where his progression leads him.”
How Did Shohei Ohtani Pitch in 2025?
The superstar made his long-awaited return to the mound in 2025, making his pitching debut with the Dodgers against the San Diego Padres in June.
He threw just one inning in his first outing, and slowly worked his way up to pitching six innings as the season progressed. He capped off his season with a scoreless six-inning outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks Sept. 23, 2025.
Ohtani finished the regular season with a 2.87 ERA through 47 innings pitched, and maintained his spot in the rotation into the postseason.
He made four postseason starts, posting a 4.43 ERA through 20.1 innings pitched. The reigning MVP’s best performance came against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, where he threw six scoreless innings and recorded 10 strikeouts.
Will Shohei Ohtani Pitch in the World Baseball Classic?
While Ohtani himself didn’t say he wouldn’t pitch in the World Baseball Classic, Roberts seems adamant the star will stay off the mound.
“Well, he’s not gonna pitch in the WBC, but he will be ramping up his arm to get ready for this season and I think for me is I don’t know how many innings he threw last year, but obviously with the full offseason going north of what he did last year,” Roberts said.
With Ohtani taking it easy during the WBC as far as pitching goes, the Dodgers will look forward to having him healthy and on the mound at the start of the season.
Do you think Shohei Ohtani can win the Cy Young award?
