It goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway: Shohei Ohtani is the best all-around player in the game of baseball. His ability to pitch at a Cy Young caliber and hit like an MVP (which he won last year) leaves him without peer. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to see Ohtani do both while wearing Dodgers jersey.
After undergoing a hybrid Tommy John surgery in late 2023, Ohtani hasn't yet thrown in a Major League game since. It was his second procedure after undergoing Tommy John in 2018. Before falling injured, Ohtani was throwing a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings; a bit of a stretch from the fantastic 2.33 ERA he posted the season before.
The Dodgers are hoping to have him ready to take the mound again this season, but are not willing to rush him back. Ohtani has only thrown bullpen sessions at limited intensity indicating that the wait will be long. The three-time MVP had this to say through an interpreter:
“The Dodgers are consulting with the doctors just to make sure that, since this is my second operation, it’s really important to be conservative and be thoughtful.”
It’s a shame to have a star pitcher miss an entire season and half the next. However, this approach goes a long way to ensuring we see Ohtani pitch again this season.
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Ohtani’s excellence at the plate is the Dodgers’ top priority
Managing the recovery of a two-way player who has already had elbow surgery on his pitching arm twice is nothing to take lightly. The last thing the Dodgers want to do is re-injure him. If this were to happen, Los Angeles would be falling on a double-edged sword that not only keeps him off the mound for the entire year, but keeps him off the field entirely.
Even without pitching, Ohtani is still one of the game’s premier talents. Last season, Ohtani became the first DH-only player to win an MVP, hitting for a .310 batting average with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, marking the first 50-50 season in MLB history and Ohtani’s best season offensively. This season, Ohtani is already off to a hot start, hitting .300 with four home runs.
As of now, there is no timeline for his return. Still, this shouldn’t be concerning. As long as Ohtani keeps hitting at his current pace, the Dodgers are in outstanding shape.