MLB Rumors: Yankees-Devin Williams trade, Red Sox reunion, Ohtani debut update

MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani gives update on debut as DH with Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers might be competing with the Yankees for the "Evil Empire" moniker of MLB with the way the club has operated this offseason. It's been an embarrassment of riches coming to LA with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, and even Manuel Margot.

One of the bigger questions about the Dodgers' lucrative offseason additions, however, has been the health of Shohei Ohtani. After suffering a UCL injury, we knew he wouldn't pitch in the 2024 season, but there had been some speculation about whether or not he'd be able to even DH by LA's first game of the season, one that Ohtani is drawing a lot of attention regarding as they face the Padres in South Korea on March 20.

Ohtani, however, cleared much of that up on Saturday. And if you're to take the Japanese superstar and multi-time AL MVP's word for it, he'll be ready to go as the Dodgers DH by the time the Korea Series gets underway, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, saying he's "very confident" he'll be in the lineup and that his recovery is on schedule.

In the grand scheme of things, Ohtani missing the first two games of the season or even the first couple of weeks to ensure that he's had ample time to recover from his injury and subsequent surgery wouldn't be the worst thing. Having said that, with MLB trying to give fans in Asian markets a showcase, not having the Japanese star on the field would be an undeniable bummer.

The good news is that Ohtani seems to believe that his status is not in jeopardy at all. Still, his timetable and recovery throughout the spring will be something everyone should be monitoring.