Shohei Ohtani will not be ready to pitch on Opening Day as he continues to recover from offseason surgery, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have a target date in mind for when he might be able to take the mound again.
Ohtani underwent offseason labrum surgery that the Dodgers had already admitted would prevent him from being ready to pitch at the start of the season. Manager Dave Roberts said at Saturday’s DodgerFest that May was a reasonable estimate for when Ohtani could pitch in a game.
Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani pitching in May “sounds about right.” https://t.co/eAEvVKlMVA
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 1, 2025
At his own DodgerFest Q&A, Ohtani said the labrum repair had been a “complicated surgery,” but he had experienced no setbacks and remained on schedule for the 2025 season. He did not put a timetable on when he might pitch again, though he did admit he has yet to start throwing bullpens again.
Shohei Ohtani, here for Dodgers Fan Fest, called his offseason labrum repair a “complicated surgery” but said he’s “on schedule” and rehab has been “pretty smooth.”
No set date for when he’ll start pitching; he’ll know more once he gets into bullpens, which have yet to occur. pic.twitter.com/VZgzGqoU3N
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) February 1, 2025
Ohtani did not pitch at all in 2024 as he recovered from a UCL tear, which probably helped him post the absurd offensive numbers he wound up putting up. He has openly admitted that any other serious injury could spell the end of his pitching career, so he obviously wants to be cautious as he comes back this time.
The Dodgers went out and signed Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki in the offseason, so it is safe to say they are not necessarily reliant on Ohtani being an ace-level pitcher. If he is, they will be even more formidable than they already are.
