Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani expected to throw his first bullpen this weekend

New York Times

12-02-2025

PHOENIX — Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher, appears to be nearing the final stretch of his return to a big-league mound and throwing his first pitch as a Los Angeles Dodger.
The reigning National League MVP said Wednesday he expects to throw his first bullpen session of spring training at some point this weekend, a key step that will begin to lay out Ohtani's path back to the mound at some point in May — potentially sooner.
Advertisement
The right-hander, coming off a second major elbow ligament reconstruction, has not pitched in a major-league game since August 2023, his final season with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani's recovery progressed enough last year that he threw bullpens but did not ramp up enough to face hitters during the Dodgers' postseason run that culminated in a World Series championship in the first year of Ohtani's record-setting contract with the organization.
Ohtani arrived to this camp well before pitchers and catchers reported to Arizona for spring training as he's continued to rehab from elbow surgery. He's also working his way back after surgery to repair the labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder after injuring himself attempting to steal a base in Game 2 of the World Series. That has allowed Ohtani to continue his progress in front of Dodgers staff and officials. He's thrown from flat ground so far in camp, mixing in his splitter, curveball, cutter and (as of Wednesday) his sweeper.
Dave Roberts didn't have a start date yet for Shohei Ohtani to start throwing full bullpens. Maintained that Ohtani will be pitching 'sooner rather than later' but he won't pitch in any Cactus League games.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 12, 2025
When Ohtani does throw off a mound this weekend, he said, 'It's gonna be more about touching the slope. I'm not sure what my intensity is going to be.'
Ohtani is not expected to pitch in any Cactus League games, Dave Roberts said. However, the Dodgers manager emphasized that Ohtani's return to two-way play will come 'sooner than later.'
Figuring out the steps involved in making that happen — since Ohtani won't have a minor-league rehab assignment while he's active and hitting — remains to be seen.
But while Ohtani won't be pitching in his home country when the Dodgers open the season in Tokyo (that honor will likely go to Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto), he remains on track to be penciled into the Dodgers' lineup as the designated hitter.
Advertisement
Ohtani took batting practice on the field on Wednesday, hitting 10 home runs on 18 swings just three months after shoulder surgery. Because the injury came to Ohtani's front shoulder and not his lead shoulder, the Dodgers have maintained confidence that Ohtani could avoid the pitfalls endured by former Dodgers such as Cody Bellinger and Matt Kemp after their labrum tears.
Ohtani did note he is still working through issues with his range of motion in the area, but it's 'almost getting there, to where I want it to be.'
'I've gone through it with the elbow before, and with the shoulder it's a little bit more complicated,' Ohtani said. 'I do believe that's the part that I have to be patient.'
Still, Roberts said, the lone restrictions placed on Ohtani's offense this spring will come on the base paths. It has been a safe assumption that Ohtani — who stole 59 bases en route to baseball's first-ever 50-50 season — would steal less along with his return to the mound in 2025. But Roberts said he'll hold Ohtani back from stealing altogether during Cactus League play.
Once he resumes doing both, Ohtani stressed, 'I do wanna play as much as possible, as many games as possible. But if the team feels like I should get a break, I'll follow that.'
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)