Shohei Ohtani just hit a major milestone in his comeback journey, throwing off a mound for the first time since joining the Dodgers.
The baseball superstar, who signed that eye-popping $700 million deal with LA this winter, fired 14 fastballs during a quick bullpen session on Saturday. His pitches were already clocking in at 92-94 mph.
It’s a big step for Ohtani, who’s working his way back from elbow surgery he had late last season with the Angels.
Even without being able to pitch in 2024, all he did was win MVP and help the Dodgers win the World Series. Not bad for a “part-time” player.
“I think we’re doing a good job of breaking up the hitting versus the pitching workload,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “He’s done it before and had success doing it.”
Roberts is right – this isn’t Ohtani’s first rodeo with Tommy John surgery recovery. He’s been here before during his Angels days.
The Dodgers are taking it slow and smart. They’re aiming to have their two-way star back in the rotation around May. But here’s the tricky part: he’ll keep batting as the designated hitter while he rehabs his pitching arm. That means no minor league warmup games – just simulated games until he’s ready.
The last time we saw Ohtani pitch was 2023. He was dominant, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and striking out 167 batters in 132 innings.
And at the plate? He was even better. Try these numbers on for size:
– .310 batting average
– 54 home runs
– 130 RBI
– 59 stolen bases
– A ridiculous 9.2 WAR
That performance earned him his third MVP award in four years. The one year he didn’t win? He finished second.
The Dodgers plan to be creative with how they use him once he’s back to full strength. They might use a six-man rotation or skip his pitching turn occasionally while keeping his bat in the lineup every day.
