The Los Angeles Dodgers shared an exciting video on social media on Monday as superstar Shohei Ohtani took the mound at spring training.
Ohtani hasn’t been appeared as a pitcher in a game since the 2023 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of that season with the Los Angeles Angels. He signed with the Dodgers last offseason, helping lead them to the World Series, he just didn’t do it from the mound.
It’s obviously great to see Ohtani back on the mound, but the Dodgers won’t rush him back to action on that front. Manager Dave Roberts has said on multiple occasions that Ohtani is not expected to pitch in a game until May.
Ohtani had one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen at the plate in 2024, hitting 54 homers and stealing 59 bases.
In addition to his record-setting speed and power, the 30-year-old hit .310 en route to capturing his third MVP Award. It was his first MVP Award in the National League, as he became the second player (Frank Robinson) to win the MVP Award in both leagues.
When Ohtani returns back to the mound, he won’t be able to keep up the same offensive workload, so that season will likely stand out as the greatest offensive season we’ll see from him. He’ll join Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell in the starting rotation, giving the Dodgers an even better roster than they had in 2024.
They’ve also signed dynamite relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.
