The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading towards another National League West crown, but their biggest concern surrounds the health of star Shohei Ohtani. After beginning the season as a two-way player, Ohtani made it just half a season before having to stop pitching over nagging injury concerns.
The plan had been for Ohtani to try and build back up to starting before the playoffs begin, but the Dodgers have put a stop to it for now. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic is reporting that the Dodgers are expecting Ohtani, who missed a few games to rest, back in the lineup Monday but have dubbed his return to the mound "unlikely" at this time.
Why Shohei Ohtani's two-day days are likely over
Ohtani, who is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts this season, hasn't pitched since July 3 due to a series of ailments that have impacted his ability to feel fully healthy as a hitter. Despite the fact that Ohtani was working towards a return to the mound, it felt like an unnecessary vanity project that was going to help him more than the Dodgers themselves.
This season served as a strong reminder why players don't play both ways anymore as Ohtani's body has been incredibly taxed to dominate on both sides of the game like he had been. Ohtani has already undergone Tommy John surgery once and turned 32 years old in July, which means he is starting to exit his physical prime.
For as much of a unicorn as Ohtani is, it takes an outstanding physical commitment to start every sixth day and be a slugging designated hitter the rest of the time. The Dodgers tried to find a way to make both work this season, including having Ohtani not hit a few times he started games, but his value to the franchise is far more significant as an everyday player than a starter who goes once every six days.
Dodgers don't need to force Shohei Ohtani back on the mound
The Dodgers are also well set up with pitching that they can afford not to have him in their rotation even if Tarik Skubal leaves as a free agent after the season. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Emmett Sheehan and Roki Sasaki would give the Dodgers a full five-man rotation with Justin Wrobleski as the sixth man.
Pitcher | ERA |
|---|---|
Yoshinobu Yamamoto | 2.67 |
Tarik Skubal | 2.86 |
Blake Snell | 1.97 |
Tyler Glasnow | 3.12 |
Roki Sasaki | 4.60 |
There are simply no available alternatives to the Dodgers who can be as valuable to Ohtani as a hitter, who in a "down year" still has 30 home runs, 80 RBI and a .906 OPS in 129 games. There is every reason to believe not pitching could allow Ohtani's production could return more towards his 2024 MVP levels, when he slugged 50 homers and stole 50 bases to become the first big league player ever to have a 50/50 campaign.
The idea of having a dominant slugger who can also be an ace in the rotation is a dream, but the limitations of the human body suggest this is no longer possible for Ohtani. No one will be mad at Ohtani if he stops pitching, but accumulating minor injuries have shown that the cost of being a two-way star is outweighing the benefits at this point.
Add us as a preferred source on Google