The Dodgers are managing Shohei Ohtani’s pitching and hitting during spring training. This season, he is preparing to return to the mound while also working on his hitting after shoulder surgery in the offseason. Last year, he was recovering from an elbow injury as a pitcher.
Currently, the Dodgers have decided to focus more on his hitting and slow down his pitching rehab. Manager Dave Roberts mentioned, “We just felt that to intensify the bullpens alongside of the intensity of the games (as DH) wasn’t smart. So we just wanted to kind of slow-play it.”
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The plan is for Ohtani to be in the starting lineup right from the beginning. The Dodgers have an early start this year with a two-game series in Tokyo on March 18-19. It is expected that Ohtani will serve as the designated hitter in both of those games.
Regarding his return to pitching, the timeline is uncertain. Ohtani’s last mound session was on Feb. 25. Roberts mentioned that a reasonable estimate would be sometime in May, but there are no concrete expectations. He stated, “I just feel, and we all feel, just trying to make it a broad time to return” without “any kind of expectation.”
Last season, Ohtani won his third MVP title with impressive stats both as a hitter and a pitcher. He hit .310/.390/.646 with 54 homers and 130 RBI, while also posting a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings as a pitcher.
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