Dodgers really shouldn't be mortgaging Shohei Ohtani's future like this

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani has won MVP three times over. He also finished top-5 in AL Cy Young voting back in 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels. In fact, he was so successful that the Dodgers signed him to the richest contract in baseball history.

The Dodgers have $700 million on the line with Ohtani, which makes it all the more puzzling why they're so intent on rushing him back to the mound. Ohtani as a bat alone was enough to win NL MVP last season. If he were to pitch again, it should probably only be when he's fully-rested or in extreme situations, like the postseason or World Series. So, when manager Dave Roberts insists he'll return in May, it sends mixed messages to the fanbase.

Ohtani had UCL surgery in 2023 which kept him from pitching from 2024, and needed more arthroscopic surgery last season that delayed his recovery. The Dodgers have every right to get what they paid for, but if they rush Ohtani back to the mound before he's ready, they risk losing him at the plate as well. There's a reason no MLB player has been as successful as Babe Ruth at playing both hitting and pitching.

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Dodgers willing to take the risk with Shohei Ohtani, for some reason

Ohtani is a unicorn, and one whose health should be taken seriously if the Dodgers hope to contend in the decades to come. There is likely a clock on just how long Ohtani can be a two-way player. The sooner Roberts and LA realize that, the better.

So, yes, May sounds a bit soon. Ideally the Dodgers will have a plan in place when Ohtani returns to pitching, but it ought to include more thought out than 'May, I guess!' which is all Los Angeles currently has to offer. That is my frustration, and the issue the Dodgers could run into. A concrete plan and innings limit is necessary for Ohtani to play both ways, as would be the case in any sport.

Los Angeles has a lot of money invested in winning multiple World Series right now. That is where Roberts is coming from, and why he'll bring back Ohtani the second he says he's ready. Ohtani is a competitor, so that ought to come soon.

The Dodgers are taking the kid gloves off, but that's not necessarily the right move with Ohtani, whose medical file is growing by the season.