Shohei Ohtani Could Make Pitching Return in May After Injury, Dodgers' Roberts Says

Shohei Ohtani could be just four months away from his Los Angeles Dodgers pitching debut.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Ohtani returning to the mound in May "sounds about right," per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

According to Ardaya, Ohtani said his recovery from offseason surgery on his non-throwing left shoulder remains on schedule.

The Dodgers indicated after the November procedure that Ohtani would be ready for Spring Training, but potentially only as a hitter.

Ohtani has not pitched since he was playing for the Los Angeles Angels in August 2023. He underwent surgery on a UCL tear in his right elbow the following September.

He threw off the mound for the first time undergoing the procedure last August, per CBS Sports' Mike Axisa.

According to the Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris, Ohtani had progressed to "throwing bullpen sessions regularly," but was waiting until the winter to face live batters, when he suffered the shoulder injury while sliding into a stolen base attempt in Game 2 of the World Series.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told reporters on Dec. 9 during MLB Winter Meetings that Ohtani had resumed throwing again (h/t MLB.com's Sonja Chen.)

When asked how much the shoulder surgery had delayed Ohtani's return to the mound, Gomes answered, "Not that much, seemingly."

Gomes emphasized, however, that the Dodgers did not want to rush Ohtani's return, per Chen. Roberts meanwhile said it was "very unlikely" Ohtani would be ready to join the rotation by the time the Dodgers open the season in Tokyo on March 18.

Getting Ohtani on the mound for the first two months of the season won't be a priority for the defending World Series champions, who spent the offseason building the most star-studded rotation in MLB.

In addition to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers are anticipating the return of Clayton Kershaw alongside the additions of Blake Snell and highly-anticipated Japanese rookie Rōki Sasaki.

That rotation depth means the Dodgers can afford to take their time and make sure Ohtani is as ready as possible to pitch by the 2025 postseason.

Ohtani is expected to also play as designated hitter on his pitching days, per Chen. Dodgers fans could expect to see him take on that double workload as soon as the second month of the 2025 season.