Shohei Ohtani continues to slug for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a hitter, and he is getting closer to returning as a pitcher.
Ohtani threw three simulated innings for the Dodgers on Tuesday. He has been facing live hitters since May and told reporters on Saturday night that he is getting very close to being in game shape.
“I think it has a lot to do with pitch counts, but with the last live BP, I felt like the intensity was there and my stuff was game-ready,” Ohtani said after hitting two home runs in his Dodgers’ 11-5 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
The Dodgers have been saying that Ohtani is likely to return as a pitcher after the All-Star break, which is the week of July 15. Ohtani is set to face hitters again in the upcoming week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it was possible this would be Ohtani’s last time facing live hitters before pitching in a real game.
Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will face hitters again early next week.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 15, 2025
Could this be his last time doing so before pitching in a big league game? “Potentially.” https://t.co/PXeZFjFFct
Ohtani is coming back from surgery he underwent in Sept. 2023 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That operation marked Ohtani’s second major surgery on his pitching elbow after a Tommy John procedure in 2018.
Though it’s been over a year and a half since Ohtani has pitched in MLB, he says he is eager to get back to it, since being a two-way player is what he is most used to. Ohtani entered Sunday batting .290 with a 1.023 OPS and 25 home runs. In 2023 as a pitcher, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA. The Dodgers appear to view anything he does as a pitcher as “additive” to the great performance he’s already giving them as a hitter.
