Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is set to make his Cactus League debut by the end of next week, manager Dave Roberts announced. Ohtani will compete as a designated hitter.
Earlier this week, Roberts revealed the NL MVP would be keeping his leadoff spot in the Dodgers lineup. Mookie Betts will bat second, and Freddie Freeman third.
The Dodgers began the 2024 season with Betts as the leadoff hitter, but it appears L.A. will stick with the top of the order that the team won a World Series with.
As for pitching, Ohtani is expected to make his two-way debut in April. The Dodgers are taking a cautious approach with Ohtani’s return timeline. It’s unclear whether his two-way status will alter the lineup.
While Dodgers fans eagerly wait to witness Ohtani on the mound, he recently shared he is in the midst of altering his pitching mechanics.
“As part of being a baseball player, I do want to explore different options, different avenues, to see if I could grow as a player,” he said. “I do that on the pitching side as well as as a hitter.”
During his first two bullpen sessions this spring, the Dodgers superstar has mostly pitched out of a full windup. Ohtani said his plan is to implement the windup when he’s pitching in games this season.
“That’s my plan,” he said. “With increasing the intensity, I do want to see how the body responds, how I respond to it. As of now, that’s the plan.”
Other Dodgers stars will also be participating in Cactus League play next week such as starting pitchers Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Snell is set to pitch Tuesday, and Glasnow will take the mound Monday.
Betts has played in all games so far this spring as he prepares to be the Dodgers’ infield quarterback in 2025.
