One of the most exciting events of 2025 for the Los Angeles Dodgers will be when superstar Shohei Ohtani makes his two-way debut. However, after Ohtani injured his shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series, his timeline to return to the mound was pushed back.
Ohtani told Bob Nightengale of USA Today he should be ready to pitch again in April.
“So far, so good,” Ohtani said in English. “Everything is going well.”
Though Ohtani’s recovery is going well, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it is “very unlikely” Ohtani will pitch in the Tokyo series against the Chicago Cubs to open the season.
“I don’t think the left shoulder is gonna have much of an impact on Shohei’s pitching,” Roberts said at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. “I think his right elbow is the biggest factor. I just think the question is when he starts pitching in major league games and how we ramp him up prior to it.”
Ohtani will pitch in 2025, but there is no firm date for his return to the mound. Roberts stressed the importance of taking a cautious approach with Ohtani’s overall workload. Ohtani underwent surgery shortly after the World Series to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Ohtani’s first season in a Dodgers uniform was remarkable as he set career-highs in home runs, hits, runs scored, runs batted in, doubles, and stolen bases. Ohtani also invented the 50 home run, 50 stolen base club. Additionally, Ohtani was unanimously named the National League Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season.
Fans are eager to witness Ohtani take the mound for the Dodgers, though. The last time Ohtani pitched was with his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. In his last three seasons with the Angels, Ohtani posted ERAs below 4.00 and reached the 155-strikeout mark every year.
The Dodgers’ star-studded rotation means Ohtani will join a handful of aces in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell. It remains to be seen whether the Dodgers will also land Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who has the potential to be “the best pitcher in the world,” according to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
