Shohei Ohtani to Make First Start in Nearly Two Years Versus Padres
663 days later, Shohei Ohtani will officially make his return as a two-way player against the San Diego Padres on Monday.
That’s how long it’s been since the three-time MVP made his final start with the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 23, 2023. He hasn’t pitched in a game since then and underwent season-ending surgery – his second major elbow procedure – roughly a month later to repair the UCL in his right elbow.
When the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a historic 10-year, $700-million contract in free agency prior to last season, everyone wondered when the moment would arrive for him to make his first start with the franchise.
Fortunately, they don’t have to wait any longer.
Ohtani is scheduled to start Monday’s series opener at Dodger Stadium versus the Padres, as the club announced following Sunday’s 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
“The live, simulated or whatever sort of ran its course,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday night, including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. “He’s ready to make his debut on the mound.”
Los Angeles plans to have Ohtani pitch 1-2 innings as an opener, kicking off the start of a bullpen game, one of many they’ve been forced to enlist over the last several weeks with multiple key starters on the injured list – including Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Tony Gonsolin.
Ohtani faced live hitters for the first time during a batting practice session at Citi Field on May 25, and his recovery process has accelerated rapidly in the weeks since then. The 30-year-old threw a three-inning, 44-pitch simulated game in San Diego last Tuesday, signalling he was ahead of schedule with his impressive command.
Now, despite being on track for a post-All-Star-break return as recently as a week ago, the Japanese superstar – who doesn’t count as the club’s 14th pitcher due to his two-way designation – will continue his starter’s build-up in the Dodgers’ rotation moving forward.
“I think it’s more driven by the fact that it doesn’t necessarily need to be a typical starting pitcher ramp up,” Roberts said. “Then to potentially keep running this process out, to have him taxed for a game, where he feels that he’s equipped to go an inning or two and then continue to build up from there right now — in that sense, not surprising.”
“But yeah, a week ago we were talking about another live and potentially getting to four innings, things like that. But the conversations, the confidence that he has, it’s time to go.”
Ohtani hasn’t served as a two-way player in a few seasons, so assuming an increased workload will be an adjustment for the Dodgers’ full-time DH. But it will also return a sense of normalcy to his daily routines after exclusively working as a hitter since the start of last season.
“I do feel like just being the two-way player I used to be is the norm,” Ohtani said via team interpreter Will Ireton. “Last year was the abnormal year for me, and it’s about getting back to what I used to do.”
While Ohtani didn’t pitch in 2024, he still managed to make history during his inaugural campaign with the Dodgers, becoming the first member of the 50-50 club (home runs and stolen bases) with 54 and 59, respectively. He also won his third MVP Award and led the way en route to the franchise’s eighth World Series title.
If not for a torn labrum in his left shoulder in Game 2 of the Fall Classic, the four-time All-Star would’ve resumed his throwing program over the off-season. Instead, he was forced to begin that process during spring training before pausing for the club’s season-opening series in Japan in March.
Even with his pitching debut looming, Ohtani has still enjoyed a remarkable first half at the plate thus far, as his 25 home runs are the second-most behind Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh – both of whom sit atop the leaderboard with 26.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.