Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to be ready to hit for opener in Japan, but not be on the mound
Shohei Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit when the reigning World Series champions open their season in Japan against the Chicago Cubs in March but is doubtful to pitch
DALLAS (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to be ready to hit when the reigning World Series champions open their season in Japan against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19.
“I don't think he'd have it any other way,” manager Dave Roberts said Monday of the NL MVP who had left shoulder surgery last month. “That's our expectation.”
Coming off his third MVP award, Ohtani is doubtful to pitch while recovering from right elbow surgery in September 2023. Roberts said a mound appearance for the two-way star in his home country is “very unlikely."
“I just don’t see us starting the clock in March to then think that we would keep that continuously going through October,” Roberts said during the winter meetings. “Then that would call for a break or reprieve in the middle of the season, so I don’t know. I still think unlikely.”
